An Angel from Hell
by Kayla Chavi
Summary: Serena is a vampyre, part of an old and ancient race that has been around since the beginning of time. Darien is a Demon Hunter, sworn to do his part to control the evil underworld. Then one night he meets her, his angel from hell, and his whole world cha
1. Default Chapter

An Angel from Hell  
By Kayla Chavi  
Chapter 1  
Rating PG-13  
Genre: Alternate Romance  
Email: kaylachavi@yahoo.com  
website: http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/todream/index.htm  
  
* * *  
  
I like to think of myself as an ordinary guy. Really I do. My life is normal. Well normal for me and as normal as it can be in the crazy world that I live in. I mean who would have thought that a simple guy like me, Darien Kincaid, would end up a Demon Hunter by the nice young age of 19, and manage to capture the attention of the stunning Serena.  
  
Just so everything's clear, Serena's a Vampire. A Master Vamp at that. And I'm mortal, something she likes to remind me of quite frequently, and have been killing her kind for almost seven years before we met.  
  
She also likes to remind me that I'm male. Not that I forget! And not that I'm a freak or anything, she just likes to poke at my pride, telling me that I'm hormonal and lusty, that I think with my.....never mind, I think you get the idea.  
  
I would just like to say though, that being a Demon Hunter is not easy and though Serena would like you to believe that I spend all my time doing....again I think you get the idea, my love life isn't that exciting. In fact its quite the opposite, and quite frustrating.   
  
It doesn't help that Serena tends to kill any other women I look at. Like I said, frustrating.  
  
But I'm rambling, and loosing point of the story, or whatever it is that I'm trying to say. The story is quite simple actually. It all started on a dark and not so stormy night, when I had the misfortune of meeting an angel. An angel from Hell.  
  
* * *  
  
Walking through the back alley's of New York has got to be the worst thing ever. But here I was, fulfilling a stupid calling that my wonderful father bestowed on me. Not that fighting the undead doesn't have its perks, its just that it gets tedious.   
  
So here I am walking. And listening, using some Power that I managed to get, to listen for the whispers of the Undead. And I hear a scream. So being the super-hero that I'm pretending to be, I run towards it and come across two people in an alley.  
  
One is definitely male, tall and blond. In the pale light of the moon I can see that his skin is too white, too pale to be human. And he's glowing.   
  
Damn it! Why is it that they always have to be men? I really don't need my ass kicked tonight.  
  
He turned towards me with a smile, a cruel smile that was supposed to scare me. Smiles like that stopped scaring me once I became a Demon Hunter. Fear is something that I just don't feel anymore. I sighed melodramatically as the blond guy shoved the girl to the ground and advanced towards me.  
  
"I've heard of you," he hissed, "boy." It was meant to be an insult. I didn't care very much, and didn't get angry. Emotions just slow down the whole Hunting process, and I was tired and wanted to get home. After saving the girl of course. **Maybe she'll be grateful and not fawn all over me** I thought hopefully.  
  
"That's nice," I said calmly, pulling a long wooden stake from my black leather jacket.   
  
"You think that you're going to kill the great Alan?" he continued advancing towards me. Thinking that his unearthly glow would frighten me.   
  
"I don't really care if you're the great Master himself," I said standing my ground. "And sorry to burst you're little bubble, but I've never heard of you, or seen you before, so why don't we cut the chatter and get on with it?" Alan narrowed his eyes and in a blur attacked me.   
  
Well he thought he did anyway, what he ended up doing was running into the stake that I had positioned quite effectively in his heart. He snarled and tried to pull it out, but I just twisted it, shoving the splinters deep into his heart. Alan looked at me surprised and I just smiled my cool and confident smile as he turned to dust, falling to the ground.   
  
Then I turned my attention to the girl. She slowly pulled herself off the ground, managing to look seductive and innocent at the same time. She smiled and I found myself lost in a pair of beautiful aqua marine eyes.  
  
"My Knight in Shining Armour," she whispered looking up at me through lowered lashes. "How the fates would laugh at me now" Her golden hair cascaded down her back, loose and free. Her skin was white and milky, much like the pale moon.  
  
Then I realized that she too glowed.   
  
Shit.  
  
She must have heard my thoughts because she began to laugh softly, walking towards me. She was so clearly the predator, and for the very first time in my life I was frozen where I stood. The Power of her gaze held me there. "Darien Kincaid," she murmured as she stopped in front of me. Her body was so very close to mine. "At last we meet."  
  
"At last?"   
  
"At last," she brushed up against me, her breasts lightly touched my chest as she began to circle me, "I've been watching you," she continued, "for a very....very," gaze wandered over my frame and I felt my entire body begin to harden under that unblinking gaze, "very long time."  
  
"Is that so?" I managed to get out, hoping that I sounded calm and controlled.  
  
She smiled looking up and meeting my eyes, "Yes."  
  
"And you are?" I asked lifting an eyebrow, thank all the gods that be, I was able to do that.  
  
"Serena."  
  
It was a simple statement. Unlike Alan I knew who she was. She was one of the First. Old. Powerful. Deadly. And quite, quite able to kill me with a single thought. That scared me, if I was going to die I wanted to die fighting. That was the only thing that has ever scared me about her. Well that and her beauty. She smiled again and came to stand before me.  
  
"Do I frighten you, Darien?" she murmured her lips a breath away from mine.  
  
"No."  
  
Again that slow, knowing smile. She knew I was lying and was amused by it. "You know I could kill you," she whispered, her hand lightly brushing the forelock of hair that was forever in my face, away.  
  
"I know." A pause, "Do you plan to?" I asked coldly.   
  
Control. I told myself, Control.  
  
She smiled lazily and pulled away, "No. Though I am slightly hurt that you killed my friend. I don't have any company for the night. You've left me alone," she pouted, again she was innocent and seductive at the same time. She couldn't have been more than sixteen when she was made, almost a women, but still a child.  
  
I tried to be revolted by the darkness and evilness of it all. I'm disgusted to say that it was again the opposite. This beautiful demon aroused me. And dammit! she knew she did and enjoyed every moment of it.  
  
"I doubt that you are ever alone, Serena."  
  
She laughed again, it was silvery and a lot like the clearness of bells, Elvin. Though the Elves would be very insulted if I said that to one of them. They take the fact that they are one of the Higher Races very seriously. Being compared to a Vampire, no matter how beautiful she may be, is insulting.   
  
But again I'm rambling.   
  
She sounded and looked like an angel. And here I was sworn by duty and honor to kill her. But I was frozen, rooted where I was standing, in the ashes that belonged to Alan.  
  
Slowly I tried to tighten my grip on the stake. Serena knew immediately what I was trying. She just sighed and shook her head, the stake burst into flames, forcing me to drop it.  
  
"You can't kill me Darien, you know that."  
  
I didn't respond and again forced myself to meet her eyes. This time I almost drown in them.  
  
"I won't have to," I said calmly, "Not even you are immune to the sun, Serena. It will rise and unless you want to become a pile of ash like your friend, then I suggest you find shelter."  
  
She looked past me to see the pink horizon. Serena closed the distance between us in an instant. Again she lightly touched by face, her white fingers trailing along my jaw and over my lips. She kissed me softly.  
  
"We will meet again, My Knight," she murmured and then in a blur of white was gone.  
  
I stood there, tense, tight and hard. Only when the sun was over the first morning's clouds did I move. Going home and hoping that I could unwind until the next night. Which for me, I know came too soon.  
  
* * *  
  
I look back on that experience and cringe slightly.   
  
I should have known, I should have guessed. I tell myself that one over and over, but its no use. I'm only mortal--  
  
"Mortal with a very long story to tell and write. You're rambling again Darien. And you're tired, the sun is setting, you should rest."  
  
"Thank you ever so much, Serena" I muttered at her, slightly annoyed that she's interrupting me.  
  
"It's only because I care about you," she gave me this Look and I sighed. "I'll take over from here My Knight. They, after all, should have the full story."  
  
"Sure Serena, whatever you say" I yawned and she gently pushed me into bed, covering me up like she would a child.  
  
"Now sleep and don't worry about your story, I'm going to tell my half of it."  
  
"Great, that's just what they need, your words of wisdom"  
  
* * *  
  
Darien's resting now, finally sleeping. The poor man never stops working even after all of these years. Actually for me it hasn't been very long, but then again I'm thousands of years old.  
  
Darien thinks that I'm going to tell you my point of view on our first meeting. He thinks that he knows everything already, that he knows what I was feeling that day. But he's wrong.   
  
You see, that night in the alley wasn't the first night that I had met Darien Kincaid. It was probably only the fifteenth. Unfortunately my Knight doesn't remember the first time.  
  
The first time happened so long ago, but I remember it like yesterday. Once you become the Undead, you remember everything, perfectly, and exactly as it happened.  
  
Sometimes if I try hard enough I can even remember what I was feeling.  
  
* * *  
  
The written history of my people has become lost. So lost that no historian even knows that we existed outside of legend. And let me tell you, the Legend of Atlantis, is so totally screwed that the only thing that is correct is that we existed and sunk into the sea.   
  
Atlantis was already older than most of the known countries today when I was born. I was born a princess, seventeenth daughter to my father who had several wives, although I was the first daughter of the Queen. My father was not King, that was my Uncle. Which meant that I would be Queen when my Uncle and Mother died. It also meant that any children I might have would be first in line for the throne. That's how we did things, through the mother. It was the only way of making sure that our bloodline was pure.  
  
I was fourteen when I first met Darien. His name wasn't Darien, however, it was Endymion. Mine was still Serena, I guess that it will always be Serena. He was in his early twenties and so very handsome. His hair was long and black, his eyes were a piercing blue. Those in its self was odd, every one in Atlantis was blond or a light brown. Our eyes were either green or violet, never blue. My eyes were abnormal for our people being a dark aqua marine, though more marine than aqua. All of our men wore their hair short, once in a while a young man's hair would brush his shoulders.  
  
Darien's hair was longer than mine. My hair was a red brown then, not the blond that it has paled to now, curly and went to my mid back. Alright, his hair wasn't that much longer than mine, but it was long and pulled back into a simple horsetail.   
  
But I digress, sometimes I'm as bad as Darien.  
  
Endymion was pulled up before my Uncle, his arms bound behind him, the guards shoved him to the ground. I was sitting on a low stool next to my Uncle, the rest of our Family was seated on pillows behind us in a semi-circle. My older brother, An'dre, was on the other side of my father, his stool slightly higher than mine, but not as high as the chair that my Uncle sat upon.  
  
I winced slightly as I heard the marble floor impact on his knees. He clenched his jaw and looked definitely into my Uncle's eyes. There was a fire and hatred in them that blazed, and if he had any Power, I'm sure that the Palace would have burned, even though it was made completely of black marble.  
  
My Uncle narrowed his eyes at this young man who knelt before as, wearing the garb of a slave, a loin cloth and nothing else. Needless to say that Endymion was strong, it clearly showed. I couldn't pull my gaze away from him, not because he was half naked or beautiful, but because of the feeling of nobility he emanated. He carried himself like a King.  
  
"Endymion," Uncle began, "The Prince of the K'thie. Welcome to Atlantis," he said with a cruel smile. The Court laughed softly at the humor. I did not, and neither did An'dre. "Your armies tried to invade the Atlantis Empire. You failed."  
  
"Obviously." Endymion continued to glare and the Court tittered at his simple remark. I allowed myself a small smile. Uncle just frowned and narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing.  
  
"Because you are a prince I can not kill you, no matter how much I would enjoy doing so. Unlike you K'thie's I have a sense of Honor." Endymion fierce look continued, his entire body tensing at the insult, "No you will remain a slave in the Palace. I will give you to one of my daughters."   
  
Endymion snarled something in his language causing Uncle to laugh. I cast a look over at An'dre, who shook his head at me, clearly upset at this as I was. Neither An'dre or I liked Uncle, to us he was cruel, bloodthirsty, and lusty. The man, after all, had seven wives, fourteen sons, and eight daughters, not including the slaves he had managed to impregnate.   
  
"King-Uncle," An'dre stood, "I don't think that making a play object of Endymion is a fitting punishment. Even becoming Min'ko's plaything." The Court stifled laughter, my cousin was known for her ability to wear out the male slaves given to her for play things.  
  
Uncle raised an eyebrow, "Then what do you propose, Lord-Heir?"  
  
"Give him to Serena."  
  
"WHAT?!" I yelped standing suddenly. Endymion looked over at me, as if he had suddenly realized that I existed. I saw him look me over and then turn red.  
  
"She is a girl-child," he said with disdain. But Uncle liked the idea, he seemed to think that all I wanted was to produce an heir, or something along those lines. He never took me seriously and was beginning to smile.  
  
"You're reasoning?" he asked my blond idiot of a brother. Since being declared heir, An'dre had to have reasoning's for everything.  
  
"It's obvious that the K'thie Prince would not want to give an heir to a people and country that he hates. He will have to live knowing that his son or daughter is ruling the country that his people hate with a fiery passion. It will also give us power to demand a truce, the Rulers of K'thie will not allow their armies to attack their grandchild." I glared angrily at An'dre.  
  
"You're forgetting one thing," both Endymion and I said at the same time. An'dre suppressed a small smile, but I ignored both him and Endymion, "You're assuming that I will allow this man to take me. May I remind you that the law says that any heir I produce must be of my husband."  
  
"I am King, my word is Law." Uncle was not impressed with my defiance.  
  
I narrowed my eyes, "You can not force me to take this man into my bed,"  
  
"And you can not force me to take her," Endymion added in a quite but strong voice.   
  
Uncle just laughed softly, "I won't have to." He sounded so very certain that Endymion would be a typical lusty male like himself, and that I would be a typical women and be overcome by my new slave. "Take him and prepare a bed for him in Serena's chambers."  
  
I watched them forcefully drag the Prince away and to my rooms. I sat back down on my low stool, blocking everything out and trying desperately not to cry. If this man had no honor, mine would be striped from me and there was nothing I could do to stop it.  
  
In that moment I hated Uncle. I hated An'dre for placing me in this situation. I even hated Endymion for failing in his attack and getting himself captured alive.  
  
But I hadn't even met him yet. And now, I was sharing a room with him. Me, fourteen year old girl on the verge of womanhood, and him, an ex-Prince and now slave, in my rooms.   
  
And it was barely time for the mid-day meal.  
  
* * *  
  
I avoided my rooms all the way until sunset and long past. The torches along the wall were beginning to burn out when I finally returned to them, praying that the event that had happened earlier today had just been a dream. That I wouldn't loose myself to a stranger.  
  
I slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. I almost walked out when I saw An'dre sitting on one of the couches. He grabbed me forcefully and pulled me into the room and closed the door, locking it swiftly and holding me tightly.  
  
I struggled for a while, telling him how much I hated him. After I was all cried out and very tired he set me on the couch, kneeling in front of me.  
  
"I'm sorry Ser' I didn't think--"  
  
"That's very clear," I interrupted him and there was a quiet laughter coming from one of the corners. I looked past An'dre and saw him leaning against the wall. I glared coldly at him and then noticed something. First I noticed that he had fortunately got some clothes. They were simple but at least he wasn't bare-chested anymore. The second thing I noticed was that his hands weren't tied anymore. "Why isn't he chained up?" I demanded angrily.  
  
An'dre sighed, "Ser' if you would just calm down I'll tell you everything. But you have to promise to trust me and not say anything."  
  
"You think I'm going to trust you after what you did to me today?"  
  
"She has you there, Dre" Endymion laughed quietly. An'dre just sighed and turned his attention back to me, waiting for an answer to his question.  
  
"Ser'?"  
  
"Fine," I huffed pulling my glare away from Endymion, who looked more like an exiled King, then a slave.  
  
"D'mion and I have known each other for many years," he began, shocking me, "He didn't bring an attacking army like Uncle said, he came on a mission of peace. We wanted to bridge the gap between the two countries."  
  
He stopped and I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Go on," I whispered and Endymion joined us, kneeling next to An'dre, just a short distance away from me. The closeness of him distracted me slightly, but not enough to not hear what An'dre was saying.  
  
An'dre continued with the story of how he and Endymion had met and what they had planned. Then they got to the part that began with the words, "And to seal the alliance we were going to betroth you to Endymion."  
  
Before I could react Endymion smoothly cut in, "But that's out of the question now," he said simply looking at me with a calm and a little bit arrogance.  
  
I wanted to hit him.  
  
"I had no idea you were so young," he glared at An'dre, "Your brother led me to believe that you were older and of a marriageable age."  
  
I clenched my jaw for a moment, "I am," I whispered.  
  
Endymion met my eyes completely surprised, "You're only fourteen!" he exclaimed.  
  
"And in a year I am going to be married to some miserable bastard and by the time I'm sixteen I will have my first child and be pregnant with the second," my voice was cold and dispassionate.  
  
"That's the way we do things here, K'thie," An'dre sighed  
  
Endymion sighed and ran a hand through his impossibly long hair, "That's barbaric," he said after a long moment of silence.   
  
I actually smiled, "I agree."  
  
An'dre rolled his eyes, "Its the way things have been done for centuries."  
  
"Easy for you to say," Endymion and I said at the same time and I flushed, looking down. An'dre just grinned and stood.  
  
"I really am sorry Serena." he said before he left. I rolled my eyes and then realized that Endymion and I were alone in the same room. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming as he stood and turned to me.  
  
"You have nothing to worry about m'lady," he said going to the bed that had been made for him, "I won't touch you."  
  
I laughed quietly and nodded going to my own bed. I climbed between the sheets, "Because I'm a girl-child." I said dryly as the rooms torches dimmed at my thought.  
  
"Because you are a women and a Lady," he said simply. And then nothing else was said until morning. I feel asleep realizing that my prayer had been answered. I was safe, the man in my rooms was a Prince and I was a Princess. Our social places made it easy to control. I was off limits and he knew it.  
  
Unfortunately less then a year later I would become frustrated by Society and its rules.   
  
* * *  
  
Uncle wanted to celebrate my fifteenth birthday with a betrothal to a Prince of the Egyptian Empire. He had become almost as frustrated as I was with Endy's inability to produce an heir. Our frustrations were completely different. He wanted revenge, I was in love.  
  
My fifteenth birthday came and went. During which I managed to insult the prince, by claiming that I was an equal with him. I guess in Egypt its different, women don't really speak directly to their men.  
  
And then there was the fact that he didn't like my slave, who was constantly with me. Endymion appeared to be more of a body guard now, which amused the rest of my family and Court. The idiotic prince wanted to seal our marriage even before it was decided. I kneed him in the groin to stop his advances.  
  
Endy broke his jaw and three ribs.   
  
I wanted to tell myself that he loved me the way I loved him. The love between a man and a women, I wanted it. And I wanted it to be with him. Unfortunately all he ever saw me as was a little sister.   
  
Needless to say I was extremely frustrated.   
  
I tried to tell myself that it was better that he loved me like a sister, that kind of love was unconditional. Romantic love could change at anytime. Of course I was just fooling myself.  
  
So there I was, leaning on the rail of my balcony, lost in though and sighing quietly to myself, when Endymion came up to me.   
  
He stood next to me, bracing himself on the rail and looking out over the ocean, "Senna?" he asked quietly, "Are you alright?"  
  
I looked up at him and forced a smile, "I'm fine," I said, smiling slightly at the name that he had given me, though at times it seemed more like a title than a name. He raised a dark eyebrow, his dark blue eyes almost looking directly into my soul. "Really," I said in a convincing tone. Who I was trying to convince? I'm not so sure, "I'm just tired."  
  
"If you're sure that's all it is," he said after a moment. I knew he didn't believe me, but what was I to say? Yes, Endy, something is wrong. I'm totally and completely in love with you. He'd laugh, or cringe and pat me on the shoulder, saying that I was just in love with love. He'd tell me that I'm still a child.  
  
"I'm sure," I said quietly and then levered myself off the railing, going to walk back into my room.  
  
"Senna?" he stopped me with a gentle hand on my shoulder and I looked up into his handsome face.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm sorry, it was nothing," he mumbled and then turned away. I sighed and then went into my room, leaving him alone on the balcony. I heard him mutter something to himself in his own language, it sounded like he was chiding himself for something. I dismissed it and changed for bed, quickly climbing in.  
  
After a few moments I heard him climb into his bed, being quiet, as if he didn't want to disturb me. I fell asleep quickly.  
  
That night I was attacked. I didn't realize it until my assailant was over me in his attempt to harm me. I barely had time to utter a quiet outcry, when he smothered me. I fought him, but he was much larger than me and I couldn't push him off.  
  
I screamed into his hand and tried to bit him as his other hand wandered to my night clothes, pulling them up. Then he was off of me and I heard him crash to the floor. Endymion was on top of him and they were struggling. I heard the sound of metal and then their was a low moan as I heard a knife or sword slide into human flesh.  
  
That was and will always be a sickening sound.  
  
A few moments later Endy came into my view. He was disheveled, his long black hair unbraided and loose, getting all tangled. "Senna, are you alright?" he asked me, coming to the side of the bed and kneeling next to it.  
  
Then I began to cry, sobbing hysterically, as I realized what could have just happened to me. Endy pulled me into his arms and sat on the bed, holding me as I cried. His hands were gentle as they stroked my hair and back. He lightly rested his head on top of mine, occasionally brushing his lips across it.  
  
"Senna, l'tie qui. Yu fristi alrng." He murmured this into my hair over and over as I cried into his shoulder, "Senna, l'tie qui. Yu fristi alrng."  
  
It was a long time before I fell back asleep, Endy holding me the entire night.  
  
* * *  
  
I woke up in the embrace of two very strong arms. I was confused for a moment, twisting slightly to look at who was holding me. When I saw that it was Endy, I stopped moving, not wanting to wake him up and stop what I considered a small miracle. I laid my head back onto his chest and closed my eyes.  
  
He must have already been awake because I heard him breath in deeply and shift. But he didn't let go of me, a fact that I enjoyed very much. He murmured something softly into my hair and gently kissed my forehead and closed eyelids.  
  
"Gods, Senna," I heard him whisper, "You're beautiful." My eyes snapped open and I lightly felt his hands run over my hair, back and sides, "I can't believe that I almost lost you," he continued and then began to talk softly in his own language.  
  
Eventually I must have betrayed myself somewhere because I felt him pull away and look down to meet my eyes. He smiled slightly, "How long have you been awake?"  
  
"Not long," I whispered and blushed slightly, "I was enjoying hearing you talk in your own language, it sounded musical. I didn't want to move."  
  
He laughed quietly and lightly held the side of my face, "Are you alright after what happened?" he asked gently.  
  
"Better," I whispered.  
  
"Good." He kissed my forehead again, briefly touching his lips to it before pulling away to climb out of the bed. I touched his shoulder in an attempt to stop him and make him stay. He stopped, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at me, "What is it Senna?"  
  
I pulled my hand back, "Thank you for saving me," I whispered and he caught a hold of my hand before I could pull it completely away. He gently kissed it and smiled.  
  
"I would die for you, Senna," he whispered and kissed my forehead again.  
  
Then there was a knock at my doors. Endymion stood and I sat up, "Who is it?" I called out, noticing that Endy had already gotten rid of the body and to this day I'm not really sure what he did with it.  
  
"An'dre," my brother called out. I sighed and took a deep breath, "Are you decent?"  
  
"Come in An' and get your mind out of the privy," I said as he opened the door. He and Endymion exchanged this Look, making me even more confused.  
  
"D'mion told me what happened," he said gently. I raised an eyebrow, when had he had time to do that? I thought he had been with me the entire time. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," I said quietly, "Endymion saved me."   
  
"I know, he and I got rid of the body. I believe that Uncle sent the assassin." Endymion swore quite profusely and in several languages. Me and An'dre looked at him in disbelief.   
  
He flushed, "Sorry," he muttered.   
  
"Why does he want me dead?" I asked confused and shuddered slightly at the memory.  
  
An'dre sighed, "He doesn't, he wants you pregnant," he said softly and then turned to Endymion and began speaking rapidly in a language I didn't understand. Endymion obviously didn't like what he was hearing, because he swore again.  
  
They continued to talk and I got frustrated, "Will you stop talking as if I wasn't in the room?!"   
  
Both men turned to me, surprised. An'dre flushed, "I'm sorry, Serena."  
  
I just glared, and started to get angry. I got out of the bed, my red curls I'm sure a tangled tumble, "I'm a person and if you can't talk about whatever this is in front of me, then do it when I'm not around. At least give me that respect. You keep treating me as if I'm an ignorant child! I'm not, I'm almost Queen."  
  
Silence.  
  
Endymion smiled slightly, "The assassin was supposed to try to impregnate you," he said simply and what was obviously the blind truth, "Your uncle thinks that there must be something wrong with me." I raised an eyebrow and he continued, "He has confided in your brother that in two days there will be another attempt."  
  
I closed my eyes tightly and tried to comprehend what he was saying. I began to shake, my hands, my entire body trembling. "Gods," I whispered.  
  
An'dre bit his lower lip and looked at me with pity, "I'm sorry Serena," he said gently.  
  
"You keep saying that," I said in a daze. I think that I passed out because the next thing I remember is Endymion holding me on the floor. An'dre was kneeling next to me, holding one of my hands as I slowly opened my eyes.  
  
"Senna?"  
  
"I'm fine," I managed to whisper in a horse voice. I slowly pulled away and stood, "I need to think." I walked out onto my terrace and stood looking out over the ocean. Inside a very strained heated but quiet argument was going on.  
  
"All of this could be avoided if you would just--" An'dre was saying.  
  
Endy cut him off, "And become no better than your uncle?" I winced, so he still thought I was a girl-child.  
  
"D'mion you're experienced, all you would have to do is court her and this would be no problem. I know you want to!"  
  
Endymion sighed and there was a long quiet, "I won't take something from her that sacred."  
  
"You K'thie's and your sense of what is sacred!" My brother said exasperated, "It's not like--"  
  
"It is!" Endymion nearly roared, but managed to keep it a hush, "Where I come from you don't dishonor the princess! Your sister is a women and I will not dishonor her!"  
  
There was another prolonged silence.  
  
"You can never marry her D'mion, you know that," An'dre said quietly, "And if you don't father the child soon then you're life will become very much forfeit."  
  
"I know," Endy whispered, "Gods I know!" An'dre sighed and then I presume that he left. I turned back to the ocean and looked out, pretending not to have heard any of that.  
  
I didn't know what to make of it anyway. It was plain to me that while Endy was attracted to me, he was also disgusted with the fact that he still saw me as a little girl in body. My mind was that of a women, but he couldn't get past it. That's what I thought anyway.  
  
He came up silently behind me and was quiet for a long moment, "Serena?"  
  
I slowly turned around and met his eyes. "I want to go to the Temple," I whispered softly, "I need some time to think."  
  
He nodded and turned to go back inside, "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked before he went into the room, "At least until you reach the Temple, I know that slaves aren't allowed inside."  
  
I nodded and he smiled slightly before disappearing.  
  
* * *  
  
I finished the customary prayer and chant as I knelt in front of the alter of the Moon Goddess. I burned the pieces of paper that contained my prayer, watching them disappear in ashes and smoke. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath.  
  
"Sometimes even the Gods can not help us." I turned around to see the High Priestess standing there. Her long silk robes were the color of flame, making her dark hair even darker and her violet eyes stand out. She was exotic, having come all the way from the High Temple to live here at Atlantis, and sometimes I envied her beauty and grace.  
  
I bowed and she smiled slightly, "What is the problem child?" Reishe asked gently coming up to me. She saw the tears in my eyes that threaten to spill down my cheeks. Again she smiled, "I see, the fact that you are still a child, or the fact that you are a women in love?"  
  
"Is it that obvious?" I whispered looking down.  
  
Her warm, gentle hand she placed lightly on the side of my face, and then under my chin to make me look at her, "Your Majesty you are still young even though you are being forced into a role that was meant for someone much older. You are doing well for a girl who has more burdens on her than the normal mature women has. And you are in love and I suspect that the handsome slave does not return your affections the way you want him too."  
  
I closed my eyes and nodded, "Yes."  
  
Reishe gently kissed my forehead, "You are strong your majesty and will overcome your childhood. And I believe that your prayers to the High will be answered sooner than you think." She slowly withdrew her hand, "And the young slave has been pacing like a restless lion for the last three hours. He awaits your return."  
  
I opened my eyes and nodded and she gently led me out to Endymion. Relief was plain on his face when he saw me, "I was beginning to get worried that maybe the gods had decided to take you away from--to live with them."  
  
"Not yet," I said quietly and smiled slightly.  
  
It was a long quiet walk to the Palace and then to my rooms. I was tired from the days events, but Endy insisted that I get something to eat. He had food ordered to the room, and a small feast was laid out on my bed. I sat down and looked at the food, and half heartedly began to eat. I motioned for Endymion to sit and eat with me.  
  
He hesitated for a moment before joining me. We ate in a comfortable silence and soon I was full, eating much more than I had intended to. Other slaves came and cleared the food away and I sat there on my bed in silence for a long while.  
  
"What does it mean?" I asked out of no where. Endymion looked up at me surprised, and very confused.  
  
"What does what mean?" he asked cautiously.  
  
"Senna. You call me that most of the time, but last night when you said it, it sounded more like a title then a name." I asked bluntly. I was tired and confused and really not all there inside me. I wasn't being rational, I was also much more daring than I would have been if the day hadn't been so long or so tiring. And besides, this had been bothering me for months, I had to know what it meant.  
  
Endymion flushed slightly, "It's a term of affection that my people use for those they care about. I thought it fitting given your name."  
  
"But literally," I pressed, still being blunt, "What does it mean." And please don't let it be little sister, I added silently.  
  
He was quiet for a long moment and I began to worry that he wouldn't tell me what it meant. "Beloved," his voice barely audible. My eyes widened.  
  
"Beloved?"  
  
"Yes." He didn't meet my eyes.  
  
"The rest of what you said, last night and...and this morning. What does L'tie qui. Yu fristi alrng mean?" I stumbled slightly over the words.  
  
Again he was silent. Slowly he met my gaze and there was a fear in his eyes that I had never seen before. But what did he have to be afraid of? I wondered.  
  
"I love you. I'll always protect you. L'tie qui. Yu fristi alrng," My eyes widened a considerable degree and I watched him stand and go to the door, preparing to leave when I didn't say anything. "I'll be--" he started hoarsely.  
  
"Endy don't go!" I whispered, "Please?"  
  
He stopped and turned back around and then I realized what he was afraid of, or at least part of his fear. He thought that I would reject him, or have him killed!  
  
Which in any other circumstance, I could have done. Slaves were slaves, subhuman. Mina had killed several of hers just because they had thought that they could love her.  
  
I held out my hand to him. He took it swiftly, kneeling on the floor next to my bed. I lightly touched the side of his face, brushing the hair out of his eyes. I lightly kissed his forehead, "Xalliva zi, j'thia" I whispered in the High tongue of Atlantis. His eyes widened slightly.  
  
I smiled at his stunned reaction, it seemed so totally out of character for him, to be so surprised and not controlled. I lightly touched his lips and face, his hand leaving mine to do the same. Then he took my chin in his hand and leaned over to kiss me.  
  
My first kiss on the lips, my first kiss ever from another man. Even the idiotic prince hadn't managed to kiss me. It was soft and gentle and very warm. A tingling sensation went through my body and I closed my eyes. After a long moment I felt his tongue, lightly run over my bottom lip and I slowly parted my lips. His tongue slipped inside my mouth as the passion of the kiss increase, but it was still gentle and slow. Endymion took his time, not wanting to scare me it seemed, and to teach me at the same time. It seemed like that kiss lasted forever before he slowly pulled away.   
  
We stared at each other for a very long moment and I realized that I had been holding my breath as I slowly let out a quiet sigh.  
  
"Stay with me tonight," I whispered and he flushed.  
  
"Serena, I--" I gently pressed my fingers to his lips, silencing him.  
  
"I'm not asking you to do anything dishonorable," I said quietly, knowing how important my honor was to him, "I'm just asking you to hold me and stay with me."  
  
He nodded and then took me in his arms as he laid down next to me. He lightly stroked my body as I rested my head back into his chest, placing my arms over his.  
  
The realization came to me that I was in the arms of my beloved, my j'thia, and for that one night I was safe and happy.  
  
* * *  
  
I looked up from Darien's computer to see the sunlight start to peek through the blinds. Had I really been telling this story the entire night? It didn't seem like it, but I had written pages and my story with Endymion wasn't even halfway over. The memories left me with raw emotions, things that I hadn't thought about or felt in such a long time.   
  
Endymion and Darien are so different sometimes, but in some things they are identical. They are the same person, but their differences make me love him even more. Every time get to know him, its different and new. Another reason why I love him, he changes while I change, but at his core he is still the same honorable man.  
  
Sometimes his honor frustrates me to no end. It always has, and it probably always will.  
  
But my story isn't over, I still had to tell about....well I can tell about all of that later for I can hear Darien starting to wake up and I want to torment him.  



	2. 

An Angel From Hell  
Chapter 2  
by Kayla Chavi  
  
I woke up with Serena laying next to me, she herself appearing to be asleep. I sighed quietly and propped myself up on one elbow, watching her. God, she was so beautiful as she lay there, her pale blond hair strewn out over the pillows and her pale skin looking so soft. I knew otherwise, her skin was as hard as marble and cold, though she could heat up if the need came.  
  
Laying there she looked so innocent, not like a killer who had millions of lives on her soul. Then again, Serena would tell me that she had no soul, so therefore she had no damnation. She would laugh softly and then pretend to offer me immortality.   
  
I'm not a fool, she would never make me a vampire and frankly I don't want to be one. Serena is only interested in the games she can play and who she can torment. She likes to tell me that she loves me, that she has all of her life, but I'm not stupid. Vampires seduce with their words, their voices, and their actions. She wants to kill me, of that I'm certain, its just a matter of how and when.   
  
I sighed, not liking the path of my thoughts, they seemed too cynical and cold when what I really wanted to do was tell her how much I cared about her. In the course of the year I had known her, I had come to find that she was a beautiful human being. I know that the Undead aren't even considered human, but she had this brightness and innocence about her that made her worth loving. Sometimes she amazed me with the aura of fragility and innocence that she possessed. Those thoughts seemed brighter, but then the fact that I knew what she was, darkened them again.   
  
Unfortunately she was just a very good actress.  
  
I sighed and lightly ran a hand over her shoulder, only then noticing that she was naked. I sighed again and lightly touched her cheek, "Serena why do you torment me like this?" I murmured.  
  
I saw her smile and knew that she wasn't asleep. She slowly opened her crystal blue eyes and looked up at me, "Why do you let me?" she answered moving closer to me, slipping her cold hand into my boxers. I grabbed her hand before she could touch me.  
  
"Serena," I warned and she sighed melodramatically, but smiled anyway.  
  
"Darien, you shouldn't treat me so cruelly," she admonished.  
  
"Rena, I need to be able to move today."  
  
"You're no fun," she pouted, "Any other mortal man would jump at the chance."  
  
"Any other mortal man would be dead when you got through with him," I retorted, "I like my blood where it is." That's when I noticed her gaze and I blushed and glared at her, "You know what I mean."  
  
She laughed quietly, "I know what you want," she corrected me and pressed her cold body against my warm one, wrapping her arms around my neck, "You should stop fighting me Darien. We could have a lot of fun, you and me."  
  
I kissed her gently before managing to pull away from her, "I'm sure we could Serena, but I have work." I had to get out of here quickly before she did manage to keep me in my bed.   
  
She was right, it would have been fun. I know how good she is, but its just experience that she's gotten over the years. Then my thoughts start to wander as I think about her, wondering if she even remembers her first time, and who the lucky bastard was.   
  
I shook my head to clear it and went over to my computer after throwing my robe on. Its a red silk robe, a gift from Serena. She says that it makes me look sexy, I think that she needs to think about something other than sex for a change, though I realize that at times I'm not much better.   
  
I went over to my computer to see what she had written, or if she had written anything at all.  
  
"Serena, this is all gibberish," I said looking over at her. She was laying lazily on the bed, looking very seductive and come-hither. The sheet had dropped just slightly, as if she was giving me a partial view of what she promised.  
  
"No its not," she insisted, "It's one of the old languages. You asked me to write part of my story, you didn't say what language to write it in." She smiled and I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Next time I'll be more specific," I said dryly and the groaned as I stood, my body suddenly very tense, despite the restful night I had just had. She laughed as she looked me over, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth, "Don't even say it," I warned going into my bathroom.  
  
"I wouldn't dare," I heard her say before I turned on the cold water.  
  
* * *  
  
After my first encounter with Serena I went back to my office that night. I opened the door, "God Darien you look like you had a rough night."  
  
"Thanks Rei," I said dryly looking at my best-friend-since-the-whole-demon-adventure, "You too," I said looking her over. Her long black hair was pulled back into a pony-tail and she looked stunning as always. She was Japanese American and the combination at turned out well, she looked exotically beautiful, but unlike the vampire I had just met, she did nothing unpleasant to my hormones. She and I were just friends, (a concept that even now Serena has problems understanding).  
  
Rei is the witch in residence. She and I work together to lower the demon population. She uses spells and magic, while I use brute force and the weird supernatural strength that I somehow received with this weird calling. I mean I was strong before, now the ordinary muscle man didn't stand a chance against me and average vampires managed to throw me into the dust.  
  
Rei is strong in her own right, and you never want to make her mad. Fire is what she's best at and when she's angry she is very calm and controlled. You don't want to be within throwing distance of her flames, even non vamps end up a pile of dust.  
  
I'm rambling again, sorry.  
  
I took off my black leather duster, throwing it over my chair behind my desk. Rei raised an eyebrow, "So who's the girl?"  
  
I looked up sharply, "What?!"  
  
"The girl, the one who managed to wear you out and give you a headache at the same time," she said simply, sitting on the edge of my desk.  
  
"Very funny, Rei," I muttered, sitting down behind my desk and looking down at some of the papers, "I'm sure to laugh now at any second."  
  
"Lighten up Darien. Once of these days you're going to--" she stopped suddenly and looked up to see that someone had managed to enter our office, without making a sound. I looked up and met a pair of startling blue eyes.  
  
I closed my eyes again and sighed before opening them again. She was still there.   
  
Dammit! She's real.  
  
I stood up and went to stand on the other side of the desk, standing next to Rei.  
  
"Can I help you?" Rei asked politely.  
  
"No," Serena said quietly, a small innocent smile on her face. She managed to look like a young mortal girl wearing tight khakis and a white tank top. Her long blond hair was pulled away from her face, but still cascaded down her back, "But Darien can."  
  
Rei looked at me confused, "You too have met?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," I said simply, my eyes never leaving Serena's, "Hello Serena."  
  
"Serena?!" Rei hissed at me, "Are you nuts?!"  
  
"Who this?" Serena asked calmly looking Rei over, "You're girlfriend?"  
  
Before Rei could protest this and placed my hand over hers, quieting her, "What if I said yes?"  
  
"Then I would have to kill her," Serena said simply and with a child-like innocence that astounded me, "Who is she?"  
  
"You would kill all of my friends?" I asked instead, "Wouldn't you think that would push me away? It seems a little stalker like."  
  
"Don't act so surprised Darien. I'm a vampire, I kill lots of people. Now answer my question. Who is she?" The look in Serena's eyes confused me. If I didn't know better, she was afraid of something.  
  
Afraid of what? Me? I don't think so. Rei? Maybe. But she was looking at her with a twinge of respect and honor, not fear. What did Serena have to be afraid of?  
  
"Will you two stop talking about me as if I wasn't here?" Rei said exasperated and pulling her hand away from mine. "My name is Rei Shein," she looked at Serena with an odd look. It was like she recognized her from somewhere.  
  
Serena smiled and nodded understandably, "A Priestess," she said walking over to us.  
  
"I prefer the term Witch," Rei said and smiled slightly as Serena stopped a few feet away. I could feel her aura of Power, and from the look on Rei's face, she could feet it too.  
  
"I like her," Serena said to me, another one of her innocent smiles on her face, "I won't kill her."  
  
"You don't know how grateful I am," I said dryly, slightly amazed that I sounded so calm, "What is it that you want Serena?"  
  
"I thought that maybe we could go and get coffee," she said looking down at the ground and I could swear that I heard the faintest hint of nervousness in her voice. Again that confused me. Why should she be nervous around me? If she wanted to she could hypnotize me and make me do whatever it was that she wanted.  
  
But it was clear that she didn't want to coerce me. She wanted this to be free will the entire way. As free as a vampire around a mortal can be.  
  
"Why? So you can kill me when I supposedly least expect it?" It was a hard blow, said very coldly and bitterly.  
  
"Maybe," she whispered and then looked up at me. Dear gods the smile was back, "I was thinking that we could talk."  
  
No.   
  
No way in Hell.  
  
I was going to say no, all the way to the point when I opened my mouth to speak. But I made the mistake of looking down into her eyes. Instead of the cold crystal blue, I saw a warmth and a fire in them. At first I thought it was desire, but there was something else. Something that I had a problem putting a name to.  
  
I realized that this was all a game to her. Vampires seduced with their words, their voices, and their actions. Serena was no different, just more experienced and a much better actress than most. I knew that she would kill me, that she was just having her fun. But....  
  
But a part of me hoped that when I was looking down into her eyes, I saw a pleading and a begging that I would say yes. That she really did want to get to know me.   
  
I reached for my duster and put it on. Why? I'm not real sure. Love? Maybe. Lust? Of course, I'm a guy. Insanity? Definitely.  
  
"So," I said as I offered my arm to her. Her face was filled with a happiness that surprised me, along with the wideness and brightness in her smile, "Are you going to kill me before or after we have coffee."  
  
She giggled and took my arm, "That depends," she said as we walked out.  
  
"On what?"   
  
"If you look at another woman," she said simply.  
  
Rei's laughter followed us out the door.  
  
* * *  
  
I was looking through several papers, my mind elsewhere when a large stack of books was slammed down in front of me. I looked up at Rei surprised. "What's all this?"  
  
"Every single source on Serena I could find," she said simply gesturing to the stack of large leather bound books.  
  
"And the reason for that would be what exactly?" I raised an eyebrow, not amused.  
  
"When you're sleeping with the enemy, its always nice to know everything you can," Rei said, sitting down on the edge of my desk.  
  
"Serena and I aren't sleeping together," I growled looking up at her, and starting to get very angry. How dare she presume that only after three dates I'd allow myself to be overcome by Serena.  
  
"Yet." That wasn't Rei, that was someone else. I looked over the stack of books and saw her.  
  
Serena was leaning against the doorframe, though today she was going for the sultry sexy look, not the innocent school girl look. She was smiling, that gods be damned smile. She was wearing all black leather. I swallowed nervously and pulled my eyes away from her body and back to her eyes.  
  
"Hello Rei," she said pleasantly walking over to me. Rei stood up and smiled to Serena before exiting rather quickly. "You work too hard, My Knight," she teased walking around to my side of the desk and leaning against it. "You need a break."  
  
"Really?" I said looking up at her. She smiled sweetly, "And that's why you're here, to tell me that I need more sleep?" I tried my best to be cold, like I had tried the last three times. I couldn't say no to her and I think she knew it.  
  
"I want you to take me dancing," she said, "There's a new club in town and I want you to take me to it."  
  
I groaned, "Serena....."  
  
"Please Darien," she begged, sounding like a little girl. She knelt down in front of me and looked up, slowly sliding her hands up my legs and then running them up my arms, "Just this once," She linked them around my neck.  
  
I looked down at her and sighed. I kissed the top of her head and stood, grabbing my duster, "Okay Serena. Just this once."  
  
Again I got that look of pure joy as she stood, nearly dragging me out the door.  
  
When I got home that night, I was neither rested or relaxed and very, very confused.  
  
* * *  
  
  
"Tell me about her," Andrew sat down in the chair opposite my desk.  
  
"Who?" I asked innocently; Serena would have been proud.   
  
"The deadly vamp chick. You know the one you've been sleeping with for the past two months," he said calmly.  
  
I sighed, "I'm not sleeping with her," I growled, not liking this. Don't get me wrong, Andrew's a great guy, just a little misdirected. He has no problem bedding a girl he hardly knows. I take my time.  
  
Besides, this is my life on the line. The last thing I need is for Serena to bite me in the throws of passion.  
  
"God Darien, what's your problem? Its not like she doesn't want to!"  
  
"You know what your problem is Drew?" I said idly, "You have no honor. One does not just sleep with a girl he knows hardly anything about, one does not take advantage of women, and one does certainly not sleep with a vampire. That is the quickest way to make sure you die."  
  
"I thought Rei got you books? And besides Darien, you have too much honor. She's thousands of years old. Its not like you're taking anything from her."   
  
I glared at Andrew, "Is this why you came? To bother me about my lack of sex life? Or did you have another reason?"  
  
"Have you even looked at the books?" He asked ignoring my question.  
  
"No, now tell me again why I haven't thrown you out the window?"  
  
He sighed, "I came to tell you that Mina's in the hospital," he said quietly and I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And I care because?"  
  
"She's suffering from extreme blood loss," Andrew said standing up, "Your ex was bitten by your girlfriend, Darien. Either Serena got sloppy or she wanted you to know. I don't know how I'm gonna cover this one up." Andrew's a detective. He tries to keep the NYPD out of my way, sometimes I deal with things that don't exactly fall under the law. When it comes to vamp attacks he steers the investigation towards other possibilities. Don't ask me how he does it, but he does.   
  
I just stared at him for a long moment, in shock. Sure Mina was a cold hearted vindictive bitch, but that doesn't mean that she deserved to die, or drained to the point of death.   
  
Dammit Serena! Why did you have to go a ruin everything, just when things were going so well?  
  
"Thanks," I managed to mumble, "I'll go see her. And I'll talk to Serena, see what I can do about the abnormal death rate of my ex's."  
  
Andrew patted me on the shoulder "You do that," and then left silently. Rei came in and took one look at me before pulling me to my feet.  
  
"Go home," she said pushing me out the door, "Sleep and don't come back until tomorrow night," she insisted.  
  
I blindly walked home in a haze. My thoughts centered around Serena and why she was killing all of these women.   
  
Then I started thinking; really thinking.   
  
She was only killing those that I had slept with. My casual girlfriends were still alive and their hearts beating as far as I knew.  
  
It was simple surely. Serena was jealous.   
  
Or at least I thought she was. My thoughts drew to the day that she had walked in on me and Mina in a very compromising situation. I was leaning back on my desk, looking very cold and collected, but Mina was pressing against me, her hand wandering over my chest as she tried to convince me of something; I'm still not very sure of what it was she was trying to convince me about. When she stopped her act. We had heard the door open, and standing there was Serena.  
  
Serena nearly killed her then and there, a rage burning in the cool blue depths of her eyes.   
  
She was jealous then and she was jealous now.  
  
Or that was my vain hope anyway. I wanted to believe that she was jealous.  
  
I sighed and unlocked my apartment door, opened it and walked in, closing it behind me and then locking it again before noticing that there was something immensely wrong. Someone was in my apartment. My gaze wandered to my couch.  
  
Only Serena could manage the scene before me. She was lying curled up on the couch, her hair free and drifting everywhere, the moonlight falling on her face. Her skin was impossibly white and looked like smooth marble in the light of the moon. Her pale red lips were slightly parted and her smoky eyelashes brushed against her cheeks.   
  
She was so beautiful and innocent in that instant that all of my anger at her was momentarily forgotten.  
  
I sighed softly and went over to her sleeping form and knelt down next to her. "Why do you make me act like this?" I murmured to myself, lightly touching her cheek. "Why is it that you of all the women living and dead cause my blood to rush and blur my vision and thinking? And why is it that you are so damn frustrating, but can make me forgive you with a single look?" I trailed my thumb along her jaw and then over her lips.  
  
I half expected her to open her eyes and smile and tease me. Instead though, her face contorted in pain and she began to whimper. That's what convinced me that she was really sleeping, Serena never cried, and she never whimpered, at least not around me.   
  
She began whispering in a language that sounded like gibberish, but was musical and lovely. Then tears started falling down her face, leaving red trail marks. She slowly began to move and cried even more, her voice becoming louder and I could make out the words, "Endy......Endy.....ni....ni.....Endy," she cried, "Reishe! Reishe! te j'thia.....te j'thia......Endy......Endy.........Endy..........NI!"  
  
Serena's eyes snapped open, the bloody tears making them a dark indigo. Not thinking I pulled her into my arms, "It's okay, Rena," I murmured, "It was just a dream. Forget about it. It was just a dream."  
  
She held onto me tightly, slowly stopping her sobs. After a long moment she pulled away, laughing ironically. Though I didn't get the irony and one look into her eyes told me that I really didn't want to. I gently wiped the blood off of her cheeks, unnerved by her look. She looked haunted when she looked at me. Then she looked away.  
  
"You're angry with me," she whispered; she had been able to read me perfectly.  
  
I closed my eyes and sighed, "Yes," I said simply and then opened my eyes. I slowly forced her to look at me, which was not an easy task, "Why did you almost kill Mina?" I asked her evenly, "Why are you killing all of my old girlfriends?"  
  
"I hate them," she said her voice plain and very controlled.   
  
"That isn't a reason to kill them Serena." I stood up and looked down at her and then said something very daring, "I can't be with you if you commit murder." Great Darien, telling a women who kills several times a day that you can't be with her. Real smart, now lets see if you can get her to kill you.  
  
She narrowed her eyes, "I kill to survive Darien. I'm a vampire."  
  
"You know what I mean. Feeding is different then killing women who I have made love to. Though I wish that you wouldn't even kill to feed."  
  
Her eyes flashed when I had mentioned making love and I swear that her faced at become slightly flushed, like talking about sex embarrassed her. That confused me, Serena was a highly sexual woman, it came with being a vampire.  
  
"I won't allow you to hurt them, Serena. I have never asked anything from you. Now I'm asking you not to kill my ex-girlfriends." My voice had been angry and loud in the beginning, now it was dangerously low.   
  
I clenched my hands and felt a slight ache in my chest. If she left me I think I would die, but I have to take a stand somewhere. "I'm drawing a line, Serena. Mina was the last girl you hurt."  
  
She looked up at me, her face complete devoid of any emotion, but her eyes spoke of an inner conflict. Slowly she stood and met my eyes. Don't touch me, I begged her silently. I can't refuse you when you kiss me. I don't know if she heard me or not, but she didn't touch me.  
  
Instead she took a step away from me, "Very well Darien."  
  
My eyes widened. Was Serena actually telling me that she had heard what I had said and was going to listen to me for a change. Then my eyes narrowed, nothing with her is ever that simple. "Promise me, Serena."  
  
"I promise that I won't touch, hurt, or kill any more of the women you've screwed," she lifted an eyebrow, but didn't smile.  
  
The fact that she changed the words that I had used around, showed me just how angry and jealous she was. What I had done with the other girls wasn't love in her eyes, it was just a physical act, so therefore she used a harsh word to describe it.  
  
I had no doubt that if I ever gave into her that it would be making love, not sex, not getting screwed, not being fucked, but making love.  
  
I nodded, "Thank you," I said softly and then sat down on my couch, holding my head in my hands. It had been a very long day and night. I was tired and tense and had for the first time yelled at Serena.   
  
I expected her to leave.   
  
Serena climbed onto the couch behind me and to gently rub my shoulders, with a suppressed strength that surprised me. Until that moment I didn't realize how tense I had become. She worked out all of the knots in my shoulders and back until I was completely relaxed.  
  
Silently she pulled away and took my hand, "Come with me," she said quietly as she pulled me into the bedroom. Again she surprised me, this time removing my shirt and then pushing me onto the bed. "Lay on your stomach," she ordered quietly. I did as she asked, no more fight in me left. "Close your eyes, j'thia." she murmured as she resumed her massage.  
  
I closed my eyes and she straddled my back, working a nice smelling oil into my skin. By the time she was finished I couldn't move except to roll onto my back. I looked over at her and saw her smiling happily.  
  
She kissed me softly and then curled up into my side, resting her head on my chest. Normally I would have protested but I was too comfortable and her intents didn't seem like the normal seduction attempts. Though right now if she had tried, I'm not sure that I would have been able to fight it. I also wasn't sure if I would have been able to do anything either.  
  
"You stood up to me," she said quietly, her fingers tracing invisible patterns over my chest and stomach.  
  
"Yes I did." A pause, "I take it that you're not mad at me?"  
  
"How could I ever stay angry with you Darien?" she asked me. I didn't answer and there was another long silence, "I'm glad you did."  
  
I smiled slightly, "Why?"  
  
"I've been pushing you around, making you do what I wanted. Well almost everything I wanted," her hand started to pass my belt, I grabbed it before it could go any further. She laughed softly, "And you showed me that there are limits. I've been awfully one-sided about all of this. Manipulative."  
  
I laughed and kissed her forehead, she actually sounded humble. The next part was almost inaudible, "I'm sorry," she whispered.  
  
I didn't know how to respond to that and apparently I didn't have to. I fell asleep, holding an angel in my arms.   
  
When I woke up, Serena wasn't there, and I didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.  
  
* * *  
  
I knocked softly on Mina's hospital door and then came in. She was lying on the bed, looking very pale and listless, the bite on her neck had been bandaged. She groaned softly when I came in.  
  
"It's nice to see you too," I said dryly as I put the flowers I had brought her on the stand next to the bed, "What happened?" I asked gently sitting down next to her.  
  
"It was that little girl you were with at the club last the other night," she winced in pain, "I was in the bathroom, talking to a friend about you. I was really dissing you bad."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem, any time," she said looking up at me, "I was saying stuff like you must be desperate. Calling you a sicko. Then I joked about her assets, being really mean." Mina was always bluntly honest, she also had a cruel streak. "I had no idea that your girlfriend was The Serena."  
  
"Now you know," I said, "I take it that she attacked you then and there?"  
  
"Yeah," she said and closed her eyes, "Though the bitch was more upset that I trashed your honor, as she called it, than what I had called her. You sure know how to pick them, Darien."  
  
"Of course, I picked you," I grinned and she laughed.  
  
"Thanks for checking up on me Darien. It really means a lot."  
  
I smiled and calmly stood, "No problem Mina, just stay away from Serena."  
  
"Don't have to worry about that one," Mina said smiling, "Next time, sleep with a girl who isn't going to kill all of your ex's," she teased.  
  
"Mina," I growled, "Serena and I aren't sleeping together. Why does everyone assume that we are?" I was getting frustrated. Rei, Andrew, and now Mina all thought that the weird relationship that Rena and I had was based on sex. It wasn't.  
  
It was based on insanity. Mine.  
  
Mina laughed, "Darien, both you and Serena have reputations. Naturally--"  
  
"Nature has nothing to do with it," I said and walked to the door, "I hope you feel better soon," I walked out of the hospital room, silently praying that Serena wouldn't kill anyone else.  
  
Rei met me cheerfully when I got into the office, "You look tons better," she said and I noticed that all of the blinds were closed.  
  
"Thanks," I muttered and then raised an eyebrow at the blinds. Rei actually blushed and looked down at her desk. That's when I noticed that she had a piece of gauze at her neck. "Rei?" I was starting to get worried, all sorts of images running through my mind.   
  
Though the image of what happen next wasn't one of them.  
  
"Rei don't you have any towels that aren't white?" A blond haired man stepped out of the full bathroom that she and I had put into the office for the times that the office was closer than home and battle had been particularly bloody. He was wearing black leather pants and didn't have a shirt on. There was a blood streaked towel in his hand.  
  
"Rei?" I turned to her, "Who's this?"  
  
"Jedeite," she said meekly, "He-he's a friend of Serena's."  
  
I was starting to get a headache, "And he's using the office shower because?"  
  
Rei actually blushed a bright red and I sighed, "I think you get the idea," Jedeite grinned and walked over to Rei, wrapping an arm around her waist. I was about to say something more when there was a squeal.  
  
"JED!" A bouncy Serena came out of my office and went over to the tall blond. I didn't know that she had been in there waiting for me. He laughed picked her up, twirled her around and kissed her.  
  
And I don't mean a friendly kiss, this was passionate, nothing like the way she had been kissing me. I couldn't help it, I was getting jealous and angry. I looked over at Rei, but she seemed unnerved by it as Jedeite and Serena began talking in a language that sounded a lot like French, but not French. If it was, it was very, very old French.  
  
"I'm confused." I said after a moment, sitting down in one of the chairs. Serena and Jedeite broke away from each other and she came and placed herself in my lap. She smiled and Rei handed a blood red shirt to her new friend.  
  
"Don't be," Serena said quietly, gently kissing the side of my face, "Jed and I are old friends. I introduced Rei and him to each other and now...." she let her voice trail off and she began to grin, "They're sleeping with each other," she mock whispered and Jedeite laughed.  
  
"He's a vampire," I said disbelieving and with an accusatory look at Rei. "Weren't you telling me just a few short months ago that I needed to be careful if I was going to sleep with the enemy?"  
  
"You and Serena aren't sleeping together," both Jedeite and Rei chorused. Serena rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue out at Jedeite. It was so childish and innocent that I almost smiled.  
  
Almost, but not quite.  
  
"You know what I mean," I said and forced Rei to meet my eyes, "No offence to either of you, but Dead Boy over there could easily kill you."  
  
"So could Serena," Rei countered as Serena and the other vamp exchanged an amused look.  
  
"I still have all of my blood right where it should be," I looked pointedly at the bandage on her neck.  
  
Rei sighed and Serena laughed softly. "You two fight like siblings," she teased and I looked down at her sharply. She grinned and nestled herself into my shoulder and chest, "I think its cute."  
  
I closed my eyes and was going to stand up, but Jedeite quickly took Rei in his arms and kissed her. "I'll see you tonight, Reishe," he murmured into her hair. He then disappeared, moving faster than Rei or I could see, though I'm sure that Serena knew exactly where he went.  
  
Reishe, he had called her that name that I had heard Serena say the night before. Well at least now I knew it was a name, but was no closer to knowing what she had meant. Maybe Endy was a name as well. And maybe I should look at those books that Rei got me.  
  
"My name is Rei," she remarked when he was gone. She sighed, "He's forever calling me that, I think that when Serena introduced us she said my name a little to fast."  
  
Serena laughed and had a look on her face that told me that she purposely mispronounced Rei's name. "Will I see you tonight?" she asked me, looking deeply into my eyes.  
  
I sighed, "Was there ever any doubt that you would?"  
  
She smiled brightly and kissed me gently and then moved to stand up.   
  
I don't know what possessed me, I think it was seeing her kiss Dead Boy, (the name has stuck to this day almost a year later) but I pulled her back.  
  
And I kissed her, for the first time since we had met, I kissed her. If she was surprised, it didn't stop her from returning the kiss. It was me who increased the passion and depth of the kiss. I suddenly wasn't content enough with just tasting her lips, I had to have her mouth as well.   
  
I ran my tongue lightly over her bottom lip, silently begging her to let me into her mouth. Her lips parted and I slipped it inside, my hand lightly holding the side of her face, the other was at her waist, pulling her closer. She eagerly returned the kiss, opening her mouth wider and slipping her tongue into my mouth, exploring mine just as I was hers.   
  
Then I tasted blood and realized that I had cut myself on her fangs. For some reason I didn't care, and I didn't pull away, continuing the kiss for quite some time before I realized that I needed to breathe. I slowly pulled away, opening my eyes. I looked at her, there was a complete look of surprise on her pale face. Her eyes were wide and I saw her swallow.  
  
Then she violently shoved herself off of me, "I have to go," she whispered. I was confused for a moment and then I knew.  
  
Blood lust.   
  
She had tasted my blood and was controlling herself. "I understand," I said quietly, standing up. "Tonight?"  
  
She smiled, the same smile that used to frustrate me but now it made me want to kiss her again, "Tonight."  
  
Then she too was gone.  
  
"Yep. You're in control of *that* situation." I shot Rei a glare before shutting my office door behind me.  



	3. Chapter 3

An Angel from Hell  
Chapter 3  
By Kayla Chavi  
Rating: PG-13  
  
I stood in the middle of my studio apartment, as the sun's first rays trying to peek through the shades. I was tempted to throw open the window and see how Powerful I really was. I wanted to see if they would hurt me.   
  
But then again, a sunburn was not the way to make a good impression. I was going to see Darien tonight and I wanted him to find me attractive, beautiful, not bright cherry red. I contemplated bringing him here, but then he would ask too many questions that I don't want to answer.  
  
He would want to know who the portrait of the man with long black hair and dark blue eyes was. Then he would want to know why he looked like him. I'm thousands of years old and still I can't say no to the man, and I'm not ready to tell him about reincarnation. Darien's a Christian and I'm not prepared to tell my J'thia that there is no single God out there, just the Higher Powers and then THE GODS.  
  
He wouldn't be able to handle it. And I'm not prepared for another mental breakdown from him. The last time was painful enough. But that's another story.  
  
I haven't finished the first time. The story of our Love, our Life, and our Death has yet to be told.   
  
So I go to my computer. Yes, I have one of these blasted things. I hate them, even though I'm an excellent typist, and know how to use them perfectly, I still long for the days when all I had to do was call for a scribe. Then he would write exactly what I said down, letting me read it afterwards to make it correct.   
  
I would kill for a scribe.  
  
* * *  
  
The Delegation from K'thie was coming to Atlantis. I was a nervous wreck. Uncle had decided that it was my duty to see to all the preparations. I was upset, for two reasons. One being that this entire delegation was a sham. All it was, was Uncle shoving the fact that we had their Prince in their faces. Showing them that he had a Power that they didn't. The other was Endy.  
  
He was getting all dreamy eyed about it. Apparently his sister and her husband were part of the delegation. Along with a woman that was rumored that he had known. And by known, I mean it in the Biblical sense of the word. I was worried that he would see this woman (I didn't know her name, yet), and he would look at me and see the child again.   
  
Then there was the fact of while he now slept in my bed, he didn't sleep with me. He refused to know me. (Again in the same sense as before). I was being to hate him for it, I loved him so much. Here in Atlantis is was not a strange thing for slaves to sleep with their Masters. I told him this, once I came to the point of begging. In any other situation, with any other man it would have been pathetic.  
  
His response?   
  
"Senna, I love you more than Life Itself. And when I take you, it will be because we are married. I will not take your honor from you." He looked down at me gently, and lightly held the side of my face, wiping away the tear that had fallen.  
  
"Endy we love each other, that's all that matters. I want this, I'm not deluding myself either. I want everything love has to offer." I looked at him, my aquamarine eyes filled with a pleading.  
  
"So do I, Senna. But I will not end up fathering a child who has a slave for a Father."  
  
"Damn you!" I pulled away from him angrily, "Is that all you see yourself as? A slave?"  
  
"Senna--"  
  
"When I look at you Endymion I see a King, a man more fit to rule than Uncle. I see this man who has so much honor that its killing me inside. I have never treated you as my slave! Never! I have never used it to get you to do anything that you don't want to. I haven't even used it to force you to make love to me! So why do you insist on remaining a slave!?"  
  
There was a silence and he looked down at the floor. I closed my eyes to stop the tears, "It's her, isn't it."  
  
"What?" he looked up at me, confused. "Who?"  
  
"That woman who's coming with the Delegation."  
  
"What?! I don't understand. What woman."  
  
"That woman, she's a former lover of yours. She's coming with the K'thie Delegation. You don't want me, you want her."  
  
"WHAT?!" He looked at me as if I was crazy. But I didn't give him a chance to talk before I turned and fled from the room.  
  
I was blind at that moment, for I did not see the look of sadness that followed me. And I didn't hear the inhuman scream that escaped his throat as he in frustration threw himself upon our bed.  
  
* * *  
  
Endy and I didn't speak to each other for three days, but he still slept in my bed. Why? Because unless he was there, I was attacked. It was a cold three nights, for he didn't hold me, and I didn't let him.   
  
The night before the delegation came I was getting ready for bed, slipping on my simple nightdress, when a pair of strong arms grabbed my waist from behind and swung me onto the bed. I managed to utter a small shriek before I realized that the man over me was Endy. He held me firmly by the waist and looked deeply into my eyes.  
  
Then he was kissing me more forcefully then he had ever done before. His mouth traveled along my jaw and neck and shoulders and then along the neckline of my nightdress. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back before he slowly pulled away, moving to lay next to me.  
  
"Don't ever not speak to me for that long ever again," he said firmly, lightly stroking my back, "I think that we need to talk."  
  
I sighed and closed my eyes and pulled closer to him, "Do we have to?"  
  
He looked down at me and lightly touched my hair, "Senna, listen to me. The only person who means anything to me is you. It will always be like that. The other women, they mean nothing."  
  
"But....but you've....you've made love to them and not to me."  
  
"Serena, what I've done with them isn't making love, its sex, or getting screwed, or getting fucked. It was never love." He took my chin in his hand and made me look at him.   
  
"Oh."  
  
Endymion smiled and kissed my forehead, "Please, let me love you in my way. I respect you for the amazing woman you are, Senna. And when we are married I will do anything you wish me to."  
  
He said when, not if, and for some reason that gave me hope. Maybe this delegation would change something.   
  
"Promise?"  
  
"With all of my soul." he kissed me again gently and I smiled up at him. He pulled me closer, an arm snaking around my shoulders. I rested my head on his chest. "Now, don't move, these last few nights have been freezing. I forgot how nice it is to have you here."  
  
I giggled and snuggled even closer. There was a long period of silence and I thought that he had fallen asleep, "Zalliva xi, J'thia." I whispered, "I love you, beloved."  
  
He held me tightly, "L'tie qui, Senna."   
* * *  
  
I sat on my low stool, my dark burgundy silk dress, billowed at my feet. The purpose of it was to make me look like a goddess. Endy told me it worked. My brother teased him saying that he thought that I would look like a goddess in breeches and a man's shirt. Uncle just nodded his head, approving of it. My hair was artfully braided, with small feathers and beads in it.   
  
Endymion sat at my feet. I had insisted on this. Uncle had frowned, saying that even a Princely slave did not deserve a place at my feet. I said that he had forced the man into my rooms and into my life. I choose what place he had and therefore he had a seat of honor at my feet.  
  
The main Throne Room doors opened and the procession of the Delegation came through. They put on a nice show of their wealth. The last three people were who were important, they contained the real power in this whole mess.  
  
A woman with dark black hair led them. Her hair was so black that it looked blue in places when the sunlight glanced upon it. Her robes were also blue and very modest. She was beautiful and I noticed the look in Endy's eyes when he saw her. It was joy.  
  
The man walking a step behind her had wavy dark brown hair that brushed past his shoulders. He had a peacefulness around him, though to me he looked slightly feminine. It didn't help that he kept his hair pulled into a loose horses tail. Though it was clear that there was nothing girly about him, while he was thin, he certainly was strong.   
  
There was also something about him that bothered me. He didn't look like a K'thie, his hair was too light and his eyes were a gray.  
  
These two were introduced as the Princess Amilyn of K'thie and her husband Zander. These two were Endy's sister and brother-in-law. I looked down at Endy and then nodded, smiling. He lightly kissed my hand and then stepped off of the dais to meet them.  
  
He and his sister hugged tightly, tears of relief streaming from her eyes. Eyes that were almost as blue as Endy's, if I recall correctly. He and Zander gripped arms firmly and from this I learned much. This was Endymion's family and they loved him. They wanted him home.   
  
Pleasantries were exchanged and then I saw Endymion pale considerably. I followed his gaze, it was the third woman that had followed behind them. She was a tall woman with hair a darker red then mine. Her eyes were a red violet and cold. She sent a chill running down my spine when she and I looked at each other, meeting each other's eyes. She was wearing the robes of a Priestess, though unlike Reishe's Fire Red, her's were a Royal purple edged with a blood-red. I began to wonder who she was.  
  
Then she was announced and I knew the reason for Endymion fear.  
  
"High Priestess Berylka of the K'thie High Temple of Garlekesh."  
  
I nearly screamed. Garlekesh was the God of Blood and War in K'thie, if what Endy had told me was true. The fact that he had a High Temple did not sit well with me.   
  
Endymion turned to greet her, moving to take her hand. I saw her shake her head and give him a cold smile. In the silence of the Throne Room I heard, "Oh no Endymion, we are much to close to be so formal." Then she kissed him.  
  
And it wasn't a friendly kiss, it was a deep throated passionate kiss that lasted far too long, even though Endy nearly threw her away from him. The Princess Amilyn glared hatefully at Berylka and said something harshly to her as Endymion coldly took his place back at my feet. I was afraid for him and wanted to gently place my hand on his shoulder, telling him that it would be alright.  
  
But Princesses weren't supposed to show concern for their slaves. Endy knew this and so did I, the public had to be satisfied.  
  
Screw the public, I decided and gently touched his shoulder. He let me lay it there before gently shrugging it off.  
  
And I was afraid. I was afraid of Berylka. I was afraid of Uncle (who sat in his Throne smirking). And I was afraid even of Endymion, for the look in his eyes was so terrible that I dared not touch him, again.   
  
I didn't hear much of the negotiations and the speeches that day. Berylka held my gaze, the fear running through my body. It was the gentle touch on my hand that broke that concentration. I looked down surprised.  
  
Endy gently took my hand in his and lightly squeezed it, "Don't meet her eyes," he whispered, "I don't want you to loose your soul." I nearly smiled, so he wasn't angry at me.  
  
I nodded and kept my eyes on my hands in my lap, not listening to anything. I don't even think I was capable of thinking, totally in shock from what had just happened.  
  
* * *  
  
Afterwards I wandered aimlessly through the Palace before I came back to my rooms. Inside I could hear laughter and I almost didn't open the door. I knew I would find Endymion and his sister in there and I didn't think that I wanted to meet them. They were trying to take him away from me, and I didn't like that.  
  
Gods, I was such a child at times.  
  
I turned to go when the door opened and Endymion stood there. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into the room. He smiled, looking happier that I had ever seen him before. "I thought I felt you there."  
  
I looked at him confused, what did he mean he could feel me? Did he always know when I was around? I didn't get a chance to ask these questions, for he pulled me over to meet his sister and her husband.  
  
Amilyn stood and bowed solemnly as did Zander. "You're majesty it is an honor to meet you finally."  
  
"Finally?"  
  
Zander laughed, "We've just spent the last two hours listening to my Lord talk about you." Endy turned a bright red and I laughed.  
  
"Two hours?" I asked him trying to contain my laughter.  
  
Endymion shot me a dangerous look, "Actually it was closer to three," he said indignantly, crossing his arms.  
  
I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at him, not wanting to embarrass myself in front of his sister. I gestured to the large couches in my outer chamber, inviting them to sit. They took the seats and I sat across from them.   
  
Endymion placed himself at my feet.  
  
Amilyn saw this and was very confused, "Endymion, why are you on the floor?"  
  
Endymion sighed, "Ami, I'm a slave. I can't sit on the same couch as Sen-Serena. It's not proper."  
  
I closed my eyes, knowing from having my own siblings and dealing with An'dre that there was going to be an argument about this. Zander met my eyes and grinned impishly, he knew this as much as I did.  
  
"You're not a slave, Endymion," she said in a patronizing tone and gave me a glare.   
  
"Here I am," he said simply. I was about to say something, to tell him to stop being ridiculous and sit next to me. I didn't mind.   
  
But he stopped me. He gently took my hand and kissed it, silencing me. Amilyn's eyes narrowed when she saw this, and a cold look came into her eyes. Zander tried to do the same thing that Endymion had, he took her hand and held it gently.  
  
"Why haven't you come home?" she said abruptly and I looked at her confused. Endymion was a slave here, he couldn't just leave. "We were expecting you back months ago. The slavery was a shock, yes, but we thought that you would have escaped by now."  
  
"You thought wrong, Lyn."  
  
"I don't understand. You could just leave," she stood up, "Why haven't you?" She yanked her hand away from Zander. He sighed and just leaned back into the couch.  
  
"Senna please," he said to her. If it had been any other situation, the use of 'beloved' would have been humorous. I was so used to Endy saying it to me that it seemed odd to here another man call his wife it. "Just calm down, I'm sure that Endymion had a reason."  
  
"I don't expect you to understand Lyn," Endymion said standing up to face her.  
  
By this time I was getting very confused. I looked up at Endy to see something I didn't understand it in his eyes. He was angry at his sister for something and I didn't understand why.  
  
"Then tell me!" she implored, "Endy we are brother and sister. We always have strived to understand each other. Tell me."  
  
There was a silence and I stood, "Maybe I should go," I whispered going to my terrace.   
  
"My GODS!" Amilyn's eyes widened and her voice rose, "You're here because of her!"  
  
I cringed And then went completely outside. I hated when people talked about me when I wasn't there. Sometimes An'dre and Darien did that and it infuriated me. So I went to the ledge and closed my eyes, trying not to cry, trying to realize what all of this meant.  
  
I kept coming up blank and the argument continued inside.  
  
"I can't believe you Endymion! Can't you see that she is one of them?! She's a Atlantian! They're Empire was built on the backs of others. They keep slaves! She could never understand what it's like to be free. She's a barbarian!"  
  
Endymion shouted something in K'thie and then there was a silence. It was a very, very, long silence.  
  
"He just told her to remember that he was Prince and that she was Princess. He told her not to question him." I looked up to see Zander standing next to me. He looked troubled at the whole situation. He sighed, "I love my wife dearly, but sometimes she is extremely close minded."  
  
My eyes widened. His last sentence was spoken in the High Language of Atlantis. Only the royalty and nobility spoke this language. It was a hard language to speak, taking those who were not native to it almost a life time to learn.  
  
This could only mean one thing, Zander was an Altantian. And nobility at that.   
  
No wonder he didn't look like a K'thie.   
  
He saw the realization in his eyes and nodded, "She doesn't know, for obvious reasons. I plan on telling her in about ten years. Hopefully by then she'll loose the prejudice that she has. And by then she'll get used to the fact that you're married to her brother."  
  
I nodded and looked down at the sea below me, "Endy and I aren't married yet," I said quietly, "And I don't think we'll ever be." I started to cry. I was appalled at myself, Endy was the only man who had ever seen me cry.  
  
Zander lifted my chin and made me look at him. He had a kind smile on his face and there was a gentle hope in his eyes, "Your Majesty, I can promise you that you and Prince Endymion will be married. And it will be sooner rather than later."  
  
"H-How?" I stuttered, looking up at him amaze.  
  
"We're working on it."  
  
Then Endymion came outside, obviously walking away from Amylin. He was angry and upset, glaring slightly at the sea and the horizon. Zander bowed politely to me before going inside to Amylin. I heard them leave a moment later.  
  
Tentatively I went up to Endy and placed my hand gently on his shoulder. His hands were clenched into tight fists, so hard that his knuckles were white. "J'thia?" He was quiet for a very long time before turning to me.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered looking deeply into my eyes.  
  
I smiled slightly, "For what?"  
  
"For my sister," he said quietly, moving to turn away from me. I stopped him by grabbing his wrist and holding it tightly.  
  
"You have nothing to be sorry for," I said and for once made him look at me instead of the other way around, "You can't control her Endy. She's her own woman."  
  
"I don't want her to hurt you," he whispered, "You mean too much to me."  
  
I smiled and kissed his hand, "I know. I didn't know how much until just a few moments ago." He looked at me confused and I laughed. "You stayed here when you didn't have to. If she and Zander are to be believed you could have left Atlantis a long time ago, but you didn't. You stayed, and I know its because of me, and not because of An'dre," I paused and then smiled slightly, "At least it better be because of me and not because of An'dre, or else I would have to kill him."  
  
Endymion laughed and kissed my forehead, drawing me to him in a fierce embrace. "I would never leave you if I could possibly help it," he promised, "I would have to be forced away. I wouldn't leave you even if you told me too."  
  
I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He lifted me off the ground and twirled me around on the terrace. I laughed and held on as he twirled me back into the room.  
  
He stopped suddenly, frozen for a moment. I looked over my shoulder to see why he stopped, expecting to see someone like Uncle or An'dre.  
  
Berylka.  
  
The High Priestess of Garlekesh.  
  
The God of Blood and War.  
  
I nearly screamed in fear.   
  
Endymion held me tightly by the waist before slowly setting me to the floor. His arm was still protectively around me when I was put upon my feet, crushing me to his side. My auburn hair was a tumble of curls and I didn't much look like the Princess, but I acted the part.  
  
"What are you doing here without my permission?" I asked coldly and her cruel red eyes (and they were a red now, not the red/violet of before) flickered at me, as if noticing my presence for the first time. "I did not give you leave to enter my room."  
  
"I'm here to see his majesty," she said calmly, "I need to talk to him." Her eyes traveled his body in a very suggestive way, "Alone."   
  
I opened my mouth to speak but Endy stopped me. He shook his head, "I'll be alright."  
  
"Very well," I said quietly, an irrational fear of losing him came into my mind. If I left them alone, they might........I looked over at my bed and prayed to the gods that they wouldn't profane it.  
  
I pulled away and gave the impression of leaving them alone. I didn't, I hid behind one of the pillars and drapes.  
  
What can I say, I'm a jealous girl. I always have been and I always will be. Besides if I was going to get my heart broken, I wanted to be the first to know.  
  
"Why are you here Berylka?"  
  
She smiled a cruel and cold smile, "I wanted to see you *Endy*" They had sat down on the couches and she lightly placed a hand on his leg. He immediately grabbed it and held her hand tightly by the wrist.  
  
"Not good enough Berylka." he said looking at her coldly, "Why are you really here?"  
  
She narrowed her eyes and then sighed, snatching her hand away from him, "I'm here to scare the King of Atlantis into giving you back to your people. Even Rub'ris fears the Gods. Especially the God that I represent."  
  
"Nice tactic," he said dryly, "Who's idea, mother's or fathers?"   
  
She laughed, "You're sister's." She lightly touched Endymion's face, "She's missed you and wants you back. You missed her wedding, now you're going to miss the birth of her first child if you aren't careful."  
  
"Lyn's pregnant?!" Endy exclaimed and I felt a rush of joy for the sister who really didn't like me. She was going to have a child! That was wonderful, something that I wanted but Endy at this point wouldn't give me.  
  
"You didn't know?" Berylka asked innocently, running her fingertips over his lips. Again he grabbed her wrist. Berylka jerked her hand away as if she had been stung, "What is it about that child that has you so insistent on staying here?" she asked angrily.  
  
"She isn't a child anymore than you are a good woman Berylka. She's beautiful, intelligent, and a good person." He paused angrily, "Something you will never be."  
  
Her eyes were now a blood-red as she narrowed her eyes at him, "How dare you!" she hissed standing, a fire in her eyes burned there, it scared me. "How dare you judge me? I gave up everything for you Endymion! I gave up my life and hope as your wife, just to see you returned home. And I come to find that you are lusting after the Crown Princess of our enemy and want to stay. You are a betrayal to your people."  
  
"I dare because I am the Prince of our people Berylka. I am trying to forge an alliance that will bring peace to our country and to most of the civilized world. Serena is a good woman and will be the perfect Queen someday. She is a better person than you are. Now leave. Leave me before I have you removed."  
  
"You're a slave!" Berylka hissed and slapped him, "You are a slave to her and to Rub'ris. I curse you!"  
  
I paled almost giving myself away by wanting to help Endy. Curses scared me, for they were very real.  
  
"I curse you that you will never be truly happy with Serena. She will become something that you despise for eternity and you will hate her and yourself everyday for the rest of your lives. And each life after that! I curse any children that you might have that they're lives will become a destructive force in the world. They will destroy their loved ones, just as you will try to destroy Serena. You will never know happiness!" She shrieked.  
  
There was a silence.  
  
"And I bless them that Good will overcome Evil! That Love and Justice will triumph and they will taste happiness before death!" Reishe stood in the doorway of my rooms, the Power of Flame surrounding her. "Get out Berylka! You don't belong here in Atlantis. You do not belong here among the living."  
  
Berylka narrowed her eyes and hissed, her eyes glowing red. She roared, her scream inhuman and I saw that her two eyeteeth were elongated, like a serpents fangs. Her fingernails were claw like and she leapt to attack Reishe. Fire leapt from the raven haired Priestess to the *thing* that used to be Berylka.  
  
They fought, Reishe looking glorious as she found the thing who was leaping for her neck. She managed to bite her, and I saw blood began to run down her neck.   
  
In a swift motion, a blond haired man came into view , attacking Berylka from behind with a large polished piece of wood. I saw him try to shove it deep into her back, aiming for her heart.   
  
He failed, but she released her grip on Reishe. Reishe used this distraction to throw Fire at the *thing* again. The fire caught on Berylka's robes.  
  
Berylka screamed in pain and then gathered Darkness around her before disappearing.  
  
I began to cry, for it seemed that with her words my whole life had ended. I had no reason to live, even with or without Endy. I was tired of being attacked by men, women, and *things* I wanted to be able to live my life without the worry of waking up dead.  
  
Suddenly I was in Endy's arms. He was calling me a beautiful idiot and asking me why I didn't leave like a smart girl. He kept calling me beautiful and telling me how much he loved me. I just cried and cried, wishing that none of this had happened. I was beginning to regret everything that had happened.  
  
Reishe knelt next to me as Endymion tried to calm me. Behind her was a blond haired man also wearing a Priest's robes. "What are you two doing here?" Endymion asked quietly as he rocked me as I sobbed.  
  
"Jedeite felt an Evil presence," Reishe said gently, "We came as soon as we could. I'm sorry," she whispered. Jedeite began to gently clean Reishe wound before quietly and quickly cleaning up my room   
  
During this, Endymion lifted me, laying me onto my bed.   
  
"Will she be alright?" he asked Reishe nervously. She and Jedeite exchanged a smile.  
  
"She just needs sleep and she needs you with her. Don't let go of her," Jedeite said and he and Reishe left.  
  
That night Endymion held me, not letting go. We didn't sleep, I don't think that we could have even if we had tried. That night was the last night I ever cried from fear. I let ice freeze part of my heart.   
  
**I will never cry over her and this again** I promised myself, **Never again will I be so scared that I cry**  
  
* * *  
  
"I'm going back to K'thia."  
  
My heart stopped. It was two weeks since Berylka and his sister had left, and now he was kneeling in front of me begging me not to kill him.  
  
"What?" I whispered, not believing that I had heard him correctly the first time.  
  
"I'm going back to my country," he said quietly and then looked down at the ground.  
  
"No." My voice was a strangled whispered, "You promised never to leave me. I won't let you go."  
  
"Senna--" he started, trying to beg, taking my hands gently in his.  
  
"NO!" I tore away from him, leaving him kneeling on the floor, "You can't! You......" and then I did the thing I thought I would never do, "You can't! You're my slave. I demand that you stay here!"  
  
"Senna....you're Uncle is giving me my freedom, saying that its his deathbed wish. I'm going back to K'thia" He stood and walked over to me.  
  
"Why?" I whispered giving up. I didn't look at him. "You promised."  
  
"I know.......the alliance is going to be made finally. My parents want me home. My people and family need me." He was trying to make me understand why.   
  
And I did understand that he had to go, but that didn't mean that I had to like it.  
  
"What about me?" I whispered, tears starting to fall down my face (I promised not to cry over Berylka. I knew I could never promise to not cry over Endy, it would be impossible.) "I need you."  
  
He made me look at him, gently wiping away my tears. "I know Senna, and there is something that I want to ask you."  
  
"What?" I finally looked into his eyes.  
  
"Come to the ball tonight. Dance with me once before I leave. Let us be equals for one night. Let me show you how much I love you. And then I'll ask you."  
  
I closed me eyes and nodded, not able to say yes. My heart was breaking. We would never be together, just like Berylka said.  
  
He smiled and kissed me softly, "I love you, Senna, with all of my heart and soul" he whispered. He was about to say more when my door burst open.  
  
"Don't you ever knock?" I asked An'dre irritably. He just grinned and I could have hurt him for being so cheerful.  
  
"Never" he said and then turned to the two of us, "You'll never guess the miracle that just happened!" he said somewhat excited. I rolled my eyes, he was acting like a young child again. He looked too happy and it was annoying me. I was loosing the only man I had ever loved (not counting my brother of course), and he was being cheerful.  
  
I swear that I could have hit him.  
  
"What?" I mumbled.  
  
"Uncle just died." He waited for my reaction.   
  
It came very slowly, I was still trying to get through the fact that my j'thia was leaving me.   
  
"What?" I asked, "Say that again."  
  
"Uncle just died. No more war Serena! No more hate! We can be allies with the K'thie! We can be at peace."  
  
But Endymion can't marry me, I added silently. He was to be King of K'thia. I was to be Queen of Atlantis. We couldn't meld the countries like that, no one could and there not be a war.  
  
I slowly smiled, "I don't have to marry some bastard!" I added, just to make An'dre happy, he was so happy about this, and I didn't want to ruin it for him. He would finally be King. "I'm free of having to be attacked!"  
  
"And D'mion won't have to sleep in your bed!" An'dre added.  
  
My stomach sank, a dark, deep pit forming in it. I would never be able to sleep without him there.  
  
"Yeah," I said softly and Endymion just held me in his arms.  
  
"I'm having some slaves move his belongings into another room," An'dre continued oblivious to me and him, "He's a Prince again, it wouldn't be proper for him to sleep in here."  
  
"That won't be necessary," Endymion and I said at the same time. I looked up at him surprised, so did An'dre.  
  
"What do you mean?!"  
  
"I would never be able to sleep without Senna next to me," he said, "I'm barely going to survive the months that I'm away from her before I come to visit."  
  
"You're coming to visit?!" that seemed much brighter then never seeing him again. Maybe I did have a reason to hope for something brighter.  
  
"What did you think that I would just leave you forever?" He grinned down at me and I smiled, he knew that's exactly what I had thought. "Never in a thousand years!"  
  
He kissed me and I turned it passionate, knowing it would be one of the last few times. After about ten minutes of us kissing, An'dre began to make gagging noises.  
  
"Okay you two, you're worse than Min'ko and Kunzite."  
  
I laughed within the kiss, but we continued anyway, stopping only after An'dre had been gone a very long time.  
  
* * *  
  
That night at the ball I got to see Endymion as a Prince. He was so beautiful and noble. He was wearing the dark and somber colors of his house, black and silver. I wore the deep crimson and silver of my house and together we looked amazing.   
  
We danced all the night. I loved it. I always knew he was a wonderful dancer, but because he was my slave I never could have danced with him in front of the Court. I was laughing and smiling the entire night.   
  
As was he as he drew me outside. I couldn't help but feel some apprehension as we walked out onto the balcony.   
  
"Serena, there's something I want to ask you." he said quietly and I looked up at him, my aqua marine eyes looking deeply into his blue.  
  
"What is it Endy?" I asked quietly. My stomach had began to flutter and hope flared in my heart before I quickly doused it.  
  
It flared again when he knelt in front of me. He pulled something out of his pocket.  
  
"Serena, my beautiful Senna.....would you let me keep you?"  
  
"What?" I asked blinking at him. I was slightly confused, and a little disbelieving. It couldn't be that he had just asked me to marry him. It couldn't be.  
  
"I want you to become mine, I want to be yours," he said and brought forth the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It was a small delicate silver dragon that had sapphires for eyes, "I want us to come before the gods and show them our love. I want to marry you." His voice was quiet and warm. "I love you."  
  
I was speechless. Then I realized that I would have to answer him. "Yes." I whispered and threw my arms around his neck after he gently placed the ring on my finger, "Oh Gods YES!"  
  
He laughed and twirled me around, kissing me everywhere as he held me tightly by the waist.  
  
"YES!"  
  
* * *  
  
I close my eyes and remember that day. Bloody tears run down my face as I write this. I'm writing this for Darien, for his story that he wants to tell. I can't believe what a sucker I am for doing this, but here I am.  
  
I was so happy, so naive. I would write more but I haven't been able to control the memory, even now I cry as I write this, the blood splashing on the keyboard.   
  
I'm falling too fast, I'm feeling too much.  
  
Not again, oh Gods, not again.  
  
So I'll write of my wedding another time, later. Besides, I'm seeing Darien tonight and I don't want to have him see me like this. Serena the Vampire doesn't cry, only when she's locked in horrible dreams and can't control it.  
  
I'm never weak, not even in front of Darien, not anymore.  
  
I sighed and closed my eyes, saving the file for Darien to read another time. Again I've written it in a language he can't read.   
  
When he's ready I'll show it too him, I'll let him understand it.  
  
* * *  
  
"You're seeing her again tonight aren't you, Dare," Andrew remarked quietly to me as we sat in the quiet club, drinking our sodas. Yes, we were two grown men drinking Coke and Sprite. Both of us couldn't afford to get drunk on the job.  
  
I sighed, "Yes, Drew I am."   
  
"Have you read the books that Rei got you yet?" he asked me, sipping his drink. He had leaned back into the booth, looking relaxed and carefree.  
  
"Read them? I went through them so thoroughly that I should know everything there is to know on Serena." I sighed and took a long drink.  
  
"But?"  
  
I swore and shook my head, "It's written in an ancient script. Rei's trying to get Ami to translate for me, but even Ami can't work miracles all of the time. Though I think I know how old she is."  
  
Andrew lifted an eyebrow, "Do tell," he said intrigued.  
  
"Ever heard of Atlantis?" I asked calmly, setting my drinking down.  
  
"No way! That's just a myth. Besides, the Legend of Atlantis is claimed to be over eight thousand years old! I thought Vampire's originated five thousand years ago." Andrew clearly didn't believe me. I just smiled.  
  
"Well these books claim that Serena came from Atlantis, eight thousand years ago."  
  
"And here I was hoping that you would believe that I'm only seventeen," Serena was standing behind me. Again she had managed to do it without my hearing. I just smiled and grabbed her wrist from behind, pulling her over to me and into my lap.  
  
She giggled like a teenage girl. I looked her over. Again she had gone for young and innocent, wearing jeans and a halter top. Okay, maybe not *that* innocent.  
  
She looked over at Andrew and smiled, "You must be An'd--Andrew," she said stumbling over his name a little. "Darien talks about you often." She laughed again as she rested her head on my shoulder, lightly placing her hand on my chest, "Sometimes I get jealous that he talks about you so much."  
  
Andrew smiled slightly, looking her over, "I know the feeling," he commented warily.  
  
Serena just smiled at him and something flashed in both of their eyes. This made me jealous for an instant, what if she wanted Andrew more than me?! Inside I was starting to panic.  
  
She must have known, or felt it. She always knew what I was thinking and feeling. Serena broke eye contact with Andrew and looked up at me. She lightly kissed the side of my face and then my neck, "I'll always be yours," she murmured into my ear, "Always and forever, just like you'll always be mine."  
  
That chilled me and warmed me at the same time. Just as it delighted me and scared me senseless. What the Hell was that supposed to mean!?  
  
Andrew smiled and stood, "I have to be going. Besides I won't stand in the way of true love," he remarked dryly.  
  
"You always knew how to read people so well," Serena said after him. He stopped for a minute, pausing slightly, not turning around, and then continued to leave.  
  
"What was that supposed to mean?" I asked and she just smiled, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissed me gently.  
  
"I'm just trying to unnerve him," she said simply and I just shook my head and sighed. But I pulled her closer, my arms around her waist and on her back, "Much like I do you," she grinned.  
  
I laughed and kissed her.   
  
This started something much alike to a make-out fest. Something I hadn't done since my last girlfriend. It was a little odd, being in a public place, I always thought that couples that did stuff like this were gross (for lack of a better word). It was too open, too public. It let them in on your love life. I thought that I was above it and I thought she herself was above it.  
  
I had thought that just kissing Serena would seem too juvenile for someone like her. Besides she was a vampire, something I was always reminding myself of.  
  
But right now, I understood why those gross couples made out in public. And it wasn't gross.  



	4. Chapter 4

An Angel From Hell  
Chapter 4  
by Kayla Chavi  
Rating: PG-13  
  
"I think," said Amy, "That I finally have just a little more information for you," she handed me a piece of paper that contained translations of Serena's story. "It's not a lot, more on who she was before she was a vampire, then the actual vampire Serena."  
  
I sighed and leaned back in my chair, "I feel wrong for doing this. It's like I'm spying on her."  
  
Amy just gave me one of her looks like 'you-are-absolutely-clinically-and-in-all-other-ways-insane.'  
  
"Well I do," I pouted childishly.  
  
Amy sighed, "Well do you want me to keep working on it, or should I just give up and let your weird conscious work on this one?"  
  
"Fine," I muttered and she gave me a grin.  
  
"Okay, this is what I've got so far, not a lot of details, but this is the main gist of it. Serena was apparently the Queen of Atlantis until she was turned into a vampire at about age eighteen or nineteen. She was married--"  
  
"MARRIED?!" That wasn't me, that was Rei. She had been calmly sitting in one of my nice poofy chairs until that point, "Serena the Vamp was married?!"  
  
At least I didn't have to embarrass myself by sounding jealous.   
  
Which I was. Totally and Completely. This guy is glad he's no longer living.  
  
Amy gave her this disgusted look, "May I continue?"  
  
"By all means," Rei said gesturing for her to, making a rude face. Amy just stuck her tongue out at her.  
  
"This is mature," I said dryly and both girls made faces at me. I just grinned, "Amy?"  
  
"Serena was apparently married to the King of another country. Sorry but I can't make out the name just yet, but it doesn't sound like anything I've ever come across. Anyways," she took a breath, "They were married for about three years when apparently she was turned by the Master himself."  
  
"Making her one of the first," I sighed and rubbed my temples. She had been married.  
  
Serena had been married.  
  
I don't think that I liked that thought.  
  
Damn the man.  
  
"Okay," Rei said after a few moments of silence, "Now that Darien has processed the fact that Serena isn't a virgin, what happened next?"  
  
I glared at her, "I know full well that she isn't a--"  
  
"Children, please," Amy said, sighing melodramatically. "Where was I?"  
  
"Serena being turned by the Master?" Rei said helpfully.  
  
"Oh! Okay," she paused looking back over the paper, "Master turned her and then apparently she lived with her husband until he died."  
  
Damn. So she loved him, even in her unlife.  
  
"Why didn't she make him a vampire as well?" I asked, knowing that Amy probably didn't have the answer; it was meant to be a rhetorical question.  
  
"Because he wouldn't let me," was the quiet answer. I looked up and stood up sharply.   
  
Serena.  
  
I felt guilty, though I'm not exactly sure about what. Probably I felt guilty about being angry with this man. It wasn't his fault that he managed to capture her heart.   
  
Damn.  
  
But Serena just smiled at me, I'm sure she knew what I was feeling. She always did. And as she smiled, she walked over to us, Amy was looking shamefully to the ground and Rei had stood up as well, though she didn't look as guilty as me and Ames.  
  
Serena just smiled at me again, "Its okay," she said quietly, "I'm not mad."  
  
"I--" she held a finger to my lips, silencing me.  
  
"I'm not mad at you Darien," she said, "Actually I'm impressed," she smiled at Amy, "The High Language of Atlantis is very difficult to translate."  
  
"I'll say," Amy muttered.   
  
Serena giggled, sounding like a little girl for a moment and then she sighed, "I offered my husband immortality several times," she closed her eyes painfully for a second, "He has refused every single time."  
  
Amy and Rei exchanged a look, and decided that this would be a good point to leave Serena and me alone. They quietly closed the door after them, leaving us in silence.  
  
"I don't understand," I said quietly, looking at her confused, "Didn't you love him?"  
  
Serena smiled and looked into the distance, smiling, "Yes. He was a very honorable man," then she closed her eyes, "But he's been dead for........for a long time."  
  
She blinked and then looked up at me, smiling and I sighed, sitting down in my chair. "I just don't understand why a man wouldn't want to be with you forever," I said quietly, "He was a fool."  
  
Serena blinked and looked at me, before laughing out right and for a moment I was worried that I had offended her. She laughed helplessly for a few minutes before being able to speak without giggling. I raised an eyebrow, now even more confused than before.  
  
"Sorry," she said wiping her eyes that had small tears in them, "Inside joke."  
  
"Sure," I said dryly and she kissed my cheek softly before handing me a small white envelope.  
  
"Open it," she said sitting down on the edge of my desk.  
  
I opened the small white envelope to reveal a beautiful invitation. It was printed on paper that was made to look old and ancient, like it would fall apart at any moment. The writing was black and silver and embossed.  
  
"'You are cordially invited to a masquerade hosted by Serena on October 31'" I paused for a moment and looked up at her, "That's Halloween." She grinned. "The Night Of The Dead."  
  
"No self-respecting vampire or demon goes out on Halloween," she said simply, "It's just too tacky."  
  
"Tacky?" I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"We're not really into the whole Devil's Night thing," she said, "It's just," she shuddered, "tacky."  
  
"I see," I looked over the invitation and the set it down, "It says come in costume." She nodded and smiled at me.   
  
God, she was smiling at me.  
  
I can't say no when she smiles like this.  
  
"And that's not tacky?"  
  
Serena gave me this Look, "Only if you come dressed as a vamp," she said and then giggled, "That would totally be tacky."  
  
I grinned and then sighed, "I'll see if I can come. I have to look and see if there are any ancient Evil prophesies about that night, and if there aren't, I'll come."  
  
She smiled brightly and threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I laughed and pulled her into my lap, just holding her for a moment. She kissed my neck and then my cheek, and then finally my lips before pulling away.  
  
"The sun'll be up soon," she said quietly, "I should go, besides, you aren't done trying to get all the information on me that you can," she teased and I flushed slightly. She smiled and kissed me softly before standing up, and then moving so quickly that it was like she disappeared.   
  
I looked over at the calendar that was handing on the office wall. Today was October 1. I had a month to find out if there was any evil, learn more about the woman I was slowly falling in love with, and find myself a stunning and amazing costume. I sighed.  
  
I can't wait.  
  
* * *  
  
I came into Darien's and mine's office rubbing my sore hands. They were a bright red and hurt like hell. Well more like the Fire's Of Hell.  
  
"That is the last time I spend the entire night blasting vampires and assorted demoni," I muttered and decided to soak my hands in ice. I went to the small cooler that we had, and filled up the ice bucket and just resting my hands in them. I closed my eyes, sighing as the throbbing pain slowly died.  
  
"Reishe?"  
  
I smiled and slowly opened my eyes to see Jedeite. He grinned back and came over to the couch that I collapsed on and sat down next to me. Taking my hands out of the melting ice and put them in his own.   
  
I shivered, goose bumps appearing all over my skin. He was colder than the ice. He laughed, "Am I that cold, beloved?" he asked lightly kissing the side of my face.  
  
"You're hands are like ice. Colder than ice," I whispered and looked up at him and then raised an eyebrow, "My name is Rei," I pointed out for what was probably the millionth time. He always called me 'Reishe' or 'beloved' never Rei.   
  
I asked Serena about it one time and she just smiled, saying that Reishe meant Fire Princess in Jedeite's first tongue and that when he first saw me that's what came to mind.   
  
He laughed, "I know, but you will always be my 'Fire Princess' my Reishe."  
  
"You sound so sure," I commented pulling my hands away, a small smile playing on my lips, "What if I don't want to be yours?"  
  
He smiled again, this time knowing that I was playing games. That's what we do, we play these games that usually end up at my place and with me getting bitten.  
  
Let me tell you that getting bit by a vamp is an amazing experience. When it happens there is a brief moment of pain before you get this fire blast of ecstasy. And Jedeite is so controlled that I never fell the blood loss the next morning.   
  
I know that this relationship is crazy. I mean, I've been fighting the Undead and the like, ever since I turned fourteen. It's been a long five years, but for some reason this vampire just gets under my skin like no man, living or dead has before.  
  
I'm not sure if I like it or not.   
  
I'm not even sure if this relationship is based on something other than amazing sex.  
  
"Then I will walk into the sun," he said pulling me into his arms, "I can not live without you."  
  
"I hate to break it to you, but you're already dead," Darien said as he walked into the office, looking more troubled then usual. I would have pulled away, but Jedeite kept his incredibly strong arms around me.  
  
Jedeite sighed, "You know Darien, the only thing that keeps me from wanting to tear your throat out is Serena," he said good-naturedly.  
  
"And the only thing that keeps me from staking you--"  
  
"besides the fact that I'm practically immortal," Jedeite interrupted.  
  
"--Is the fact that Rei is desperately and hopelessly in love with you."  
  
I could have torn his throat out myself. When did I ever tell him that I was hopelessly in love with Jedeite?   
  
"Have a nice day, Dead Boy." Then Darien walked into his office, leaving us alone.  
  
I'm going to kill him.  
  
I am so going to kill him.  
  
"Desperately and Hopelessly in love?" Jedeite teased, his soft voice murmuring into my ear.  
  
"You should go," I said and pulled away. He let me, and I could have sworn that I heard him sigh quietly, but I dismissed it. "The sun's about to rise."   
  
He slowly stood, "Reishe....."  
  
"For the last time, my name is Rei. Now go, before you get stuck here."  
  
He just looked at me and this time he really did sigh. He came up to me and kissed me gently, wrapping his arms completely around his waist and pulling me close. I thought about fighting him at first, but when the kiss started getting passionate I gave in.  
  
My arms wrapped around his neck pulling myself closer to him, and I could have sworn I heard him moan softly before slowly breaking away. "I feel the same way," he murmured, kissing my forehead before he was gone.  
  
I stood there stunned for a moment before deciding to get very angry at Darien.   
  
I walked straight into his office without even knocking.   
  
"What the hell were you trying to pull?!"  
  
He looked up at me calmly, "What do you mean?" he asked innocently, something he picked up from Serena.  
  
"You know exactly what I mean. Why the hell did you tell him that I was in love?"  
  
"Because you are."  
  
"Whatever!" I shouted, "You just don't like him, you've never liked him. Why are you trying to cut in on my fun?!"  
  
Darien rolled his eyes, "I'm not trying to do anything," he said and looked down at his papers. "You're right, I don't like him."  
  
"Why?!" I demanded starting to feel my hands starting to get warm. Shit! I had started my Flamethrower spell without even thinking about it. "What has he done to you?"  
  
Darien was quiet, not answering me and I slowly cooled my hands down. Damn they hurt like hell.  
  
"I'm waiting for an answer," I said simply.  
  
He looked up at me and then sighed, pounding his fist on his desk angrily, "Serena."  
  
I rolled my eyes, "So what? They're friends."  
  
"Friends just don't make out at irregular intervals," he muttered leaning back into his chair. "I saw them yesterday, at a cafe. I was supposed to meet her there, and he was saying good-bye."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Doesn't that bother you in the least?!" Darien asked exasperated, pounding the desk in frustration again.  
  
One more punch and he was going to break it. Sometimes the man does not know his own strength.  
  
I sighed, "Darien, they're vampires, and they've been friends longer than most of our ancestors. The line between friend and lover is very thin in their world."  
  
He blinked at me, "How do you know all this?" he asked and I stood up grinning.  
  
"I already talked to Jedeite about it," I said simply going to the door, "I was annoyed the first few times too."  
  
He just growled something and I laughed, shaking my head as I left.  
  
I didn't see him again until that night.  
  
"Reishe?"  
  
Shit.  
  
"Jedeite?" I looked up from my book. I had been trying to find a pain killer spell that would get rid of my burning hands. I was surprised to see him, I thought that he would stay away from me longer. Whenever we have a fight, he leaves and lets me cool down. I don't know if I had cooled down or not, and he was being very brave.  
  
Even for an Immortal blood-sucker.  
  
"I wouldn't come as soon," he said quietly. He was standing in front of me and looking very humble, "But there is something that has happened that you should know about."  
  
I closed my book and looked at him evenly.   
  
I was afraid that he was coming to tell me that Darien was dead. Or that Serena had killed him. Or that Serena was dead and Darien was going to kill himself. I was not prepared for what he told me.  
  
"Darien saw Serena kill."  
  
I looked at him blankly and was very quiet. He patiently waited for my reaction. "What do you mean? Of course Serena kills, she's a vampire."  
  
Jedeite sighed and then gently took one of my hands, "But he's never seen her kill. He will be here soon and is very upset. I thought you should know."  
  
"But she's a vampire," I repeated. I didn't understand why Darien would be so upset by this. She kills everyday, just like Jedeite. Sure it bothered me slightly, but it didn't upset me. They were vampires, this is what they did. They killed.  
  
"Darien loves her. He forgets sometimes what she is. Trust me, j'thia. He's upset."  
  
Then Jedeite was gone. Which was just as well because Darien came storming through the door.  
  
* * *  
  
How could she do that!? How could she just kill that man?   
  
I know she's a vampire, but she killed so remorselessly. Like it didn't matter that she had just murdered someone. I think that she even enjoyed it.  
  
Damn it all to Hell.  
  
I stormed into the office. Rei looked at me and I just brushed past her desk and into my own office.   
  
Angrily I threw a small glass sculpture at the wall and it shattered.   
  
Serena was a monster. She was a murderer. She was a demon.  
  
Damn it! She was an angel!  
  
An angel from hell.  
  
Damn it! I loved her! Why did she do this?! Just when I was starting to believe that it could work.  
  
Just when I was starting to have hope.  
  
"What happened?" I heard Rei ask quietly. She had come into my office and was looking at me with a kind of sympathy that I didn't understand.  
  
I didn't want sympathy right now. I wanted......  
  
I don't know what I wanted anymore.  
  
Damn this was so confusing.  
  
"Nothing," I nearly snarled. I practically threw myself into my chair, pounding on the desk.  
  
Pointless, I know. A waste of good energy, but I was so angry that I wasn't being rational.  
  
"What happened?" Rei demanded again, her voice actually gentle.  
  
"Serena." I muttered after a moment.  
  
"She's a vampire," Rei said simply, again as before she was being gentle. She came and sat in a chair on the opposite side of my desk. "What happened?"  
  
I sighed. Suddenly I felt very childish and immature. "I saw Serena kill an old man today."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And it bothered me!" I nearly shouted, pounding the desk again in frustration.   
  
"You forgot what she was," Rei said simply. "Serena is a vampire, she kills to survive, much like you eat chocolate."  
  
Damn Rei and her logic.  
  
"I know," I sighed and leaned back in my chair.   
  
"But knowing and believing at two different things," Rei said smiling slightly, "It doesn't make it any easier to know what she is and what she does."  
  
"Exactly," I muttered. I was quiet for a long moment, "I yelled at her," I whispered, "I called her a demon and asked her what she was trying to pull with me. You know," I sighed and looked down at some unimportant point on my desk, "I almost believed that she loved me. That she actually cared."  
  
Rei was quiet, "Maybe she does."  
  
We were quiet for a long time before Rei stood and went to the door. She looked back at me and smiled slightly.  
  
"But it was incredibly stupid of you to piss off one of the most Powerful vampires in the world."  
  
I groaned and then laughed quietly. I knew that she couldn't leave without saying something like that.  
  
"Thanks Rei."  
  
She grinned and winked at me, "No problem, any time."  
  
* * *  
  
Okay, maybe I over reacted when I saw her kill. It just hurt to realize that she really was evil.   
  
I sighed.  
  
Okay, maybe not evil, just a murder. Just another vampire. Still, I was upset at seeing my girlfriend kill.   
  
But Rei was okay with all of it, I mean she had it just as bad for Jedeite as I did for Serena. Though she would never admit that she was in love.  
  
Just as I would never tell Serena. She has too much power over me already, I don't need to give her anymore.  
  
I sighed, walking the late night streets of New York, just patrolling. I was very much lost in thought. I hadn't spoken to Serena since the day that I had caught her in the alley.   
  
Stopping I felt an unfamiliar vampire presence. I was starting to be able to tell when Serena or Jedeite was around, but this one was new.  
  
And Dangerous.   
  
All thought of Serena went out of my head.  
  
I clenched my jaw and went into the alley where I felt the presence. Standing over a little girl was a tall woman with red brown hair. It was clear that she dyed it, for her roots were a light strawberry blond color. She was pale, and like all vampires she was giving off the unearthly glow.  
  
Damn it all to Hell.  
  
She felt my presence and then let the body of the little girl fall to the ground. Our eyes met and I almost shuddered. Her eyes were blood-red. They widened slightly and she walked closer to me.  
  
This woman wanted me to fear her, but for some reason I couldn't get afraid. And unlike when I had first met Serena, I didn't freeze in place.  
  
"So you're a demon-hunter now," she said in a sultry purr, raking her nails down my chest. I grabbed her hand and held it tightly by the wrist.  
  
Now? What was that supposed to mean?  
  
"And you're a vampire."  
  
She laughed and forcefully pulled her hand away, "You haven't changed Endymion," she purred.  
  
"I think you have me mistaken for someone else," I said coldly and unsheathed the silver katana on my back.   
  
Who the hell was Endymion and why was she looking at me like that?  
  
Her eyes were traveling my body hungrily. Serena had done almost the same thing the first time, but it hadn't made me embarrassed or sick and it didn't look so desperate and slutty. I felt amazingly unclean with this *thing* looking at me.  
  
Normally I didn't mind when women, vampire, or demoness, or human looked at me. It gave me a nice ego trip. What can I say, I'm a guy, I think about That almost as much as I think about food.  
  
"I'm so disappointed that you don't remember me," she pouted, "Don't tell me that you don't remember me."  
  
"Who exactly am I supposed to remember?" I asked holding my katana up and ready to strike.  
  
She hissed when she saw it, "Beryl, or maybe Berylka sounds more familiar."  
  
"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell." I swiftly attacked, hoping to cut off her head, but she jumped back and then moved in an instant behind me.   
  
I swung around and the blade glanced against her arm, cutting it to the bone. She just laughed and I saw her reattach it. I grimaced at this, seeing someone, even if they were a dead someone, reattach their arm was revolting.  
  
I lashed out again, still aiming for her head. She rushed me and grabbed me tightly, holding me by my neck, slowly lifting me off of the ground.  
  
In any other situation, it would have been funny to see a woman much smaller than me, holding me by the throat and keeping me in the air. I began to choke as her hand began to close, increasing the pressure.  
  
She threw me up against the wall, her strength pinning me there. And that was with only one hand. I still gripped my katana, and attempted to remove her leg, but she kicked it out of my grasp.  
  
Beryl or Berylka, whoever she was laughed cruelly, her fangs extended. She raked her nails across my chest, and I held back a yelp of pain as I felt them gouge into me.  
  
"Look what you made me do," she whispered and I noticed that blood was coming from a wound on my chest. She laughed and suddenly my shirt was very much non-existent.   
  
There were several long gashes that went all the way down my chest and they were bleeding quite heavily.  
  
Great, at this rate I'll be bloodless before dawn.   
  
I glared and struggled again as she moved her head down to the bottom of the gash. Slowly, she ran her tongue up my chest, along the wound, licking away all the blood.   
  
I hissed in breath sharply. My wound was stinging and she thought what she was doing was arousing. God, she looked desperate.   
  
However, it was quite the opposite. It hurt and I found it revolting.   
  
What I found even more revolting was the fact that she was trying to get my pants off.   
  
I struggled wildly, trying to force her away.   
  
Then she was gone and on the other side of the alley, laying in a tangle of arms and legs.   
  
Standing in her place was Serena.  
  
And she was glowing more brightly then I had ever seen her glow before.  
  
I think she was pissed.  
  
I really couldn't tell, I had slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall.  
  
"I thought I told you to leave him alone," Serena was saying quietly. Beryl had forced herself to her feet, glaring hatefully at her. "He's not yours."  
  
"Nor is he yours!" Beryl shouted at her. "Remember he will hate you forever!"  
  
"Remember to whom you speak," she shouted back and parts of Beryl's slutty dress burst into flames. The flames died as quickly as they had come, but it was clear that Serena held more Power. It was odd, Serena looked like she was loosing her temper. She wasn't calm and controlled like she normally was.  
  
"The girl-child if I recall his words correctly," Beryl lashed out, rushing Serena.   
  
Calmly Serena threw her over her shoulder and then back kicked her in the stomach, "You are speaking of what you do not understand," she said simply, "You have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"I know that--"  
  
"You know nothing," Serena said calmly, "Now go. You offend me."  
  
I think that I actually laughed at this. It was amusing to see her talk to Beryl as if she was a Queen and the other vampire was a Servant.  
  
"He will hate you. He does now."  
  
"No!" Serena said and shoved the other vampire into the wall with just a mere thought, "He will hate what I am! He will never hate me! He will never hate my soul! You don't remember your curses very well."  
  
"And you don't remember them at all!" the red head hissed and attacked Serena. I cried out for her, wanting to help, but the fact that I was bleeding and that my wrist was broken was not helping.  
  
Serena cried out in a language that I didn't recognize and Beryl fell to the ground, being forced to a bowing position.  
  
"You will leave him alone." I heard her whispered, "If you touch him again, I will kill you."  
  
Beryl glared up at her and then was gone. "Remember Endymion," I heard whispered on the breeze.  
  
Serena slowly turned and faced me, before being at my side in an instant. Her gentle fingers went over the wound and I saw her visibly trying to control her blood-lust.  
  
I winced when she touched it and tried to stand up. She gently stopped me and then did something that surprised me.   
  
She picked me up, carrying me in her arms and then we were moving faster than I had ever been in my entire life. It was like flying through the air.  
  
Then again, I was a little fuzzy from the blood lost. I don't remember where we landed or really what happened for the next few minutes, but I felt her place me in the middle of a large and soft bed.  
  
I kept trying to think. Why was she helping me? That Night I had basically told her that I hated her, . Which wasn't true, but she must think that I do. She was always taking what I said seriously and thinking about it. She was very much human in that respect. She obsessed on things, until the point that she was very confused.  
  
I was confused.  
  
Why the Hell was she helping me?  
  
I winced, all this thinking hurt.  
  
"Darien," she murmured, "Look at me."  
  
In my daze I did my best to look up at her.  
  
"This is going to hurt," she said gently, "but it will make you heal much faster."  
  
I nodded, not really capable of doing much else. She lightly kissed my forehead and then I saw her get a knife.  
  
Then she slit her wrist.  
  
Serena didn't even flinch as she let her blood drip onto the wound on my chest.  
  
Our blood mingled with a hissing noise and I winced slightly. The self-inflicted wound must have healed very quickly because I saw her slit her wrist again, . And again her blood was dripping onto me.  
  
That's when it started to hurt. She gently mixed our blood and lightly pressed her hand against it. Sharp pain went through my body and I think I started to thrash on the bed, the pain building.  
  
God it hurt.  
  
Serena quickly moved so that she was laying beside me, holding me gently but firmly to the bed. "It's okay," she murmured into my neck. "It will be over soon."  
  
But the pain kept on, and I knew that I was starting to scream. I think that I heard Serena crying softly, but I wasn't able to pay attention to anything but the pain.  
  
Then I felt her move over me, holding me still with her strength, and now that I think about it, her legs as well. "Forgive me," I heard her whisper in my ear.  
  
Then there was another pain, this one at my neck, but only for an instant.  
  
Then I was hit with blinding pleasure. It blocked all the pain and I couldn't feel anything but the pleasure that was raking through my body.  
  
Oh God.  
  
I'm not sure how much time past but when both the pain and the pleasure stopped I realized how hard I was breathing. I tried to get it to slow down as I opened my eyes.   
  
Serena was laying by my side, her head in the crook of my shoulder and she was still crying. "Forgive me," she whispered over and over again, "Forgive me, j'thia."  
  
Then I blacked out.  
  
* * *  
  
When I woke up, I felt very disorientated. I had a soreness that was all through my body, like I had exercised for too long and my body was trying to cope with it. I winced and tried to sit up.  
  
That's when I noticed that I had a beautiful blond nestled in the crook of my arm.   
  
Serena.  
  
She was lying there, her head lightly on my shoulder and a hand resting lightly on my chest. I looked down and saw the wound from the night before.  
  
Actually I didn't see anything but red marks. It was more like I had been scratched, not gouged. I wasn't scaring.  
  
Then the memories of last night hit me in a wave of disorientation. Beryl. Serena. The Fight. The very confusing words. And then the blood.  
  
The memory of her slitting her wrist and mixing our blood. Then the memory of her biting me.  
  
And the Ecstasy.  
  
Oh God, the Ecstasy.  
  
Serena stirred slightly, slowly opening her eyes. "You're thinking about it too much," she whispered. "You'll go crazy if you obsess on it," she looked up at me and lightly touched my face.   
  
"What?" I asked dumbly looking down at her.  
  
"The Euphoria. It will consume you if you don't calm down and try not to think about it," she murmured and sat up, resting on her side. She lightly touched my chest, where the red marks were.  
  
I inhaled sharply, my breath a hiss and I instinctively pulled away from her.  
  
She quickly withdrew her fingers and pulled away from me, and for a moment she looked ready to cry. She rolled out of the bed and I noticed that for once she wasn't naked or trying to seduce me. She had clothes on, and while her tank top and boxers didn't cover much, but she was covered.  
  
And clean, I noticed after a moment. We both were clean, there was none of the blood from the night before anywhere. I tried to sit up, wincing as the movement was slightly painful.  
  
I had hurt her, I realized and I felt incredibly guilty about it. Here she was, saving my life, and then trying to make my pain going away and I was rejecting her. Even if I hadn't meant to hurt her, I had.  
  
I hurt her again.   
  
Damn it.  
  
"Serena I--"  
  
"You should rest," she said quietly moving to leave the room, not looking at me. "I'll see if I can get Rei to take you home."  
  
"Serena--"  
  
"Rest."  
  
Then she was gone and I was alone in the large and dark room.   
  
God I felt awful. Here was the woman I loved, risking her Unlife for me and I was treating her like shit.   
  
Okay, maybe it wasn't that much of a risk for her, she didn't have to save my life, not after the way I had treated her.   
  
But she did.   
  
I know that some of what she did last night wasn't easy for her either. The mixing of human and vampire blood is dangerous if the vampire doesn't plan on making the human a blood sucker.   
  
And supposedly blood-lust is very hard to control. It's been described as a euphoria that completely overtakes their mind. That's why vampires kill, Blood Lust. Only the Elders of the race were able to have complete control over it.  
  
And Serena did. She proved that last night when she bit me.  
  
I sighed and leaned back against the headboard of the bed, pulling the blood-red silk sheets up to my chest and hugging them. In my present state, I felt like crying as well.  
  
God, I love her so much.  
  
Then I heard voices. I expected one of them to be Rei, but instead it sounded like Dead Boy.  
  
Damn.  
  
Did I ever mention how much I disliked him?  
  
"It was Berylka," I heard her say, as I strained to hear their conversation.  
  
"She's still alive?" Jedeite asked, clearly surprised. "I thought you killed her the last time this happened."  
  
"Well....."  
  
"Serena, I can't believe that you let her live!"  
  
"I tried to damn it!" Serena said irritably. "She is older than me, you know."  
  
"So am I."  
  
"Not by much," she muttered.  
  
"She's what? five or six years older? I'm only eight years," Jedeite sighed, "You're more Powerful than she will ever be. Gods, you're more Powerful than most of our race. Kill her and be done with it."  
  
Serena sighed and I decided to see if I could watch this. I stood and went to the door, which she had left partially open.  
  
What can I say? I'm a jealous guy, always have been, always will be. Even though I had no right to be. She wasn't mine. She was never mine.  
  
I saw Jedeite sit down on the couch and then pull her into his lap and then hold her. "You bit him didn't you," he murmured into her hair and she nodded before wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder. "I take it that you didn't ask."  
  
"No," she whispered, "He was in pain and it was killing me to see him like that. There was nothing I could do but let my blood heal him. Gods, he was screaming so loud. I didn't know what to do." Her body started shaking and I realized that she was crying.  
  
"So you bit him," Jedeite finished and gently rocked her, lightly stroking her hair.   
  
Jealousy flared through me. How dare he touch her like that?!  
  
Then I winced, remembering Rei's words. *The line between friend and lover is very thin in their world.* Slowly I forced myself to see something other than red.  
  
"I should have asked him," she whispered, "I know how he feels about the whole biting thing. I should have asked, but he was in so much pain. I knew he would hate me even more." Then she began to cry again.  
  
I gripped the doorframe tightly. I had made her cry. I had made my angel from hell cry.  
  
God, I was an idiot.  
  
During times like these I hated myself.  
  
"Serena," Jedeite whispered soothingly, "It will be okay. I don't think he hates you."  
  
She laughed ironically, "'She will become something that you despise for an eternity, and you will hate her and yourself everyday for the rest of your lives.' I remember the curse well."  
  
"And 'Good will overcome Evil! Love and Justice will triumph and they will taste happiness before death' So do I," Jedeite grinned impishly. "He doesn't hate you Serena."  
  
"Yes he does," she whispered, "He can't forgive me. He pulled away from me this morning. After what happened on That Night, he doesn't want me anymore," she whispered. "I can't go through this again."  
  
Again? I was very confused. It sounded like they were quoting something, but I wasn't sure what.  
  
But I couldn't concentrate on that, all I really heard was 'He doesn't want me.' That was so far from the truth that I almost laughed at the whole thing.  
  
God I wanted her.   
  
I loved her.  
  
Jedeite just sighed and kissed her forehead. He looked up, and our eyes met across the room and over her head. He smiled slightly and nodded before kissing the top of her head.  
  
I went back to the bed, trying to understand what I had just heard. I wasn't given much time to think about it because I heard a knock on the bedroom door.  
  
"Darien? It's Serena, can....can I come in?" She sounded so unsure and uncertain.  
  
"Of course you can come in," I said and sat up as she came in.  
  
She stayed by the door after closing it quietly. "Darien.......I just wanted to tell you that Rei will be here soon. She's coming with your car and she'll take you home." Her voice was almost inaudible. She turned to go.  
  
"Serena, wait."  
  
She slowly turned back around and looked at me, her eyes were still cloudy with blood tears. I sighed and then held out a hand to her. "Don't go," I said quietly.  
  
She looked at my hand for a moment and then slowly walked over and took it. I pulled her to me, sitting her next to me on the bed, holding onto her hand tightly and then made her look at me.  
  
"I want to thank you for saving my life," I said.  
  
Okay, that was corny. I winced inwardly. Great here I was trying to get her to see that I didn't hate her and I came off sounding like an idiot. I could blame it on blood loss, but I knew that wasn't the case. I'm just stupid.  
  
"It was nothing," she whispered pulling away, but I kept my hold on her hand.  
  
"Serena I know how hard it is to do what you did last night. I know that it was dangerous and I also know that you didn't have to do it. I treated you like shit, you didn't have to, but you did."  
  
She looked down, "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't want to hurt you."  
  
"You didn't," I said and made her look at me, "If I recall correctly, it didn't hurt. It was quite the opposite."  
  
She blushed. Serena actually blushed, which meant that she was really embarrassed. Its hard to vampires to get their blood to actually move, which means that a slight blush is like bright red on a human.  
  
"I know." she whispered and pulled her head away again. "I shouldn't have bit you without your permission, though," she whispered.  
  
"I understand," I said quietly and lightly kissed her forehead. "I forgive you."  
  
She looked up at me surprised. "Wh-what?"  
  
"I forgive you, Rena."  
  
Then I leaned down and kissed her softly, pulling her even closer to me, wrapping my arms around her small waist, one hand gently holding the side of her face. She wrapped her arms around my neck, allowing me to hold her even closer.   
  
It wasn't long until it was a very passionate kiss, fiery and breathless. I moaned softly and rolled over her, pressing her gently into the bed as my mouth traveled along her face and down to her neck and throat.  
  
Her hands slid up my chest, linking around my neck as she kissed me along my shoulder, very carefully staying away from my neck.  
  
It wasn't until I was slipping my hands under her shirt that she pulled away, gently forcing me off of her.  
  
"Darien, we can't," she whispered and I almost groaned in frustration.  
  
She spends the last five months trying to get me in her bed and now she tells me that we can't? I don't think that I'll ever understand her.  
  
"Why?" I asked and pulled her to me, "because I'm having difficulty understanding," I kissed her neck gently and softly. She sighed and then giggled, apparently she was ticklish.  
  
"Three reasons," she said and giggled again as I lightly stroked her stomach.  
  
"Which are?"  
  
"One: If we make love right now, I'll kill you."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. How weak does she think I am? I may not be as experienced as she was, but I still had experience. I sighed and looked down at her.  
  
"Good reason," I said dryly.  
  
She giggled, "No offence Darien, but you're not strong enough right now."  
  
I sighed melodramatically. "Two?"  
  
"Two: Rei will be here shortly."  
  
"We could just tell her to go away."  
  
She giggled again, "True," she said, "But there is still reason number one."  
  
"Very well," I said, kissing the hollow of her throat and she giggled again. "Three?"  
  
She looked up into my eyes and then kissed me softly before moving away. "When I make love to you it will be because we both want it, not because you're suffering from blood loss. Zalliva xi, j'thia. "  
  
Then she was gone.  
  
Great, a language I don't understand at all and she wanted to be mysterious.   
  
And practical. Damn it, for once she was being practical and honest.  
  
She was doing a good job at both, but she had just gotten me all excited for practically nothing, and my body was starting to protest. I sighed and slowly tried to relax.  
  
* * *  
  
I was sore for the next three days, basically unable to be a Demon Hunter. So I stayed at the office, researching.   
  
Researching is something that I despise with a passion. Normally I make Amy do it, but she was working on 'Project Moon' as she likes to call it. I think that she is having way to much fun looking up stuff on Serena.  
  
So I was stuck in the office looking up ancient prophesies, making sure that none of them came to pass on Halloween night.   
  
Or I was hoping that they would came to pass on Halloween. I'm not real sure. While I love Serena and would do anything for her, I hate parties. I think it comes from the fact that I can't dance at all.  
  
And I'm totally serious about this. I look like a retarded chicken when I try. I didn't want to embarrass myself, or Serena.  
  
Besides its doesn't help the Demon Hunter image if I look like a retarded chicken.  
  
Unfortunately or fortunately, however you look at it, there was no Big Evil.  
  
Great.  
  
Wonderful.  
  
Peachy.  
  
Now I have to find a costume.  
  
Damn it.  
  
I was putting the last book away and was very sullen, when Amy practically bounced into my office.  
  
"You will never believe what I found," she said, looking way to excited.  
  
"Probably not," I said sitting back down in my chair and putting my feet up on my desk, "What did you find, Ames."  
  
"A very nice picture of Serena eight-thousand years ago!" she nearly squealed. I calmly raised an eyebrow and was about to say something when she gave me a look, "Don't you dare pretend to be uninterested, Darien Kincaid."  
  
I sighed, "Okay, I want to see it."  
  
She grinned and set this rather large book on my desk, pushing my feet out of the way. She flipped through several pages and then pointed triumphantly, "There!"  
  
I looked down and saw a portrait of a girl who looked about fifteen years old. She was very pale and had dark aqua-marine eyes and curly auburn hair. Her skin was a beautiful ivory and she was wearing a silvery blue dress that wrapped around her body tightly in places and then in others it was loose and free, looking like the waves of the sea.   
  
She looked innocent.  
  
And that's the only thing that made me believe that these were the same two people.   
  
The Serena I knew had blond hair and crystal blue eyes and marble white skin.  
  
"Now, underneath the picture it says, 'Her Highest Majesty, Queen Serena of Atlantis, the Empire of the Waters and Greatest Empire on Earth.' and that's how I know its really Serena. All my references point back to this picture."  
  
"She looks like a little girl," I commented, "Do you know how old she is here?"  
  
"I think this is her wedding picture," Amy commented, "So she's around sixteen here."  
  
"Where's the groom?" I asked trying to sound nonchalant. I hated this man. He had Serena's heart, all of her heart. I'm glad that he's been dead for thousands of years. If he was alive I think that I'd actually kill him.  
  
Amy just grinned and turned the page. "There."  
  
I blinked several times. This man looked like he was in his early twenties. He had long dark black hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a simple shirt and pants that were light colored. He was regal and kingly and I could tell from the way the artist did his eyes that he was a strong and noble man.  
  
Easy to like.  
  
Trustworthy  
  
Damn.  
  
But there was something about him that bothered me. I thought about it for the longest time and then paled.  
  
He looked like me.  
  
I cleared my throat, "Amy, what's his name?" I asked hoarsely.  
  
She looked up at me confused and then rolled her eyes, "It says here that his name is 'King Endymion of K'thia.'"  
  
My eyes widened and I sat back into my chair.  
  
Endymion.  
  
Damn. It. All. To. Hell.  



	5. Chapter 5

An Angel from Hell  
Chapter 5  
By Kayla Chavi  
Rated: PG-13   
  
I was surveying the decorations for my party when I felt Darien's presence coming towards it. He seemed very upset about something and was projecting a lot of profanity.   
  
My gaze flickered to where I saw him enter, "Zoicite, be a dear and occupy Darien for a moment."  
  
Zoicite saw the state that Darien was in and raised an eyebrow. The Elf just gave me this look, "What did you do now, Serena?" he asked me, looking down from his impressive height.  
  
I sighed, "I'm not exactly sure, but until I do know, I want to stay out of his way."  
  
"You haven't changed a bit," Zoicite said melodramatically and shook his head, "You would think--"  
  
"Shut up. He doesn't remember, so don't push it."   
  
I ducked behind a column to listen.   
  
Damn this felt familiar, how many times had I done this when Zander and Endymion were talking and they didn't know I was there. The next thing that I needed was for An'dre to show up to make this deja vu even stronger.  
  
And because the Gods love irony, Andrew did. He had been following Darien and was trying to convince him of something.  
  
* * *  
  
"Look, all I'm saying Darien is that you are over reacting here."  
  
"And all I'm saying is that I want answers. I'm tired of all of this, I want to talk to her."   
  
Andrew had been trying to convince me to cool down. After hearing that the man in the picture was Endymion, I became very confused and I wanted to know what the hell Serena was playing at.  
  
Was she with me because she actually cared about me? Or what it because I reminded her of her dead husband? Or because she's just a heartless vampire who enjoys emotional torture more than physical torture?  
  
"Do you think that she's actually going to answer your questions?" Andrew asked me irritably. "How do you know that she's isn't just going to laugh in your face about all of this? Tell you that your thinking too much and then try to change the topic of conversation."  
  
I glared at him and stopped inside the doorway to the outdoor pavilion that Serena was building for her party. The sun had barely set, so vampires were already hard at work.  
  
"You know I'm right."  
  
"Maybe you're wrong," I said searching the crowd for her. I thought I saw her and started walking in that direction.  
  
"Hundred bucks says I'm right."  
  
I rolled my eyes, "I thought betting was illegal in this part of New York."  
  
"I'm a cop. I make the rules. Hundred bucks." Andrew gave me this look and I sighed.  
  
"You're on."  
  
"Good, there's Zoicite, he's the main organizer of this fiasco." Andrew pointed to a tall slightly feminine looking man with long brown blond hair that he kept pulled back into a pony-tail. If I didn't already know that this man was a High Elf, I would have thought that he was a wuss.   
  
On the contrary, he could kill just as efficiently and be just as deadly as a human or vampire. You don't want to make him mad.  
  
"He and I have met," I said dryly, "He'll know where Serena is."  
  
We walked over to him. He saw us and smiled slightly, putting down some of the plans.  
  
"Andrew, Darien. What brings you here?" he said looking up at us and taking off his glasses.  
  
"Dare's looking for Serena," Andrew said before I could open my mouth.  
  
Zoicite raised an eyebrow, "You just missed her," he said, "She left about five minutes ago."  
  
"Great," I muttered.  
  
Damn it! Why did she had to be so elusive. It's like she knew I was coming and that I was mad.  
  
And then I knew.  
  
I knew that she wasn't gone.  
  
I knew exactly where she was.  
  
Andrew was watching me intently, "You okay, Dare? I mean its not like Zoicite here would purposely tell you that she's not here, when she is." He gave the elf a pointed look. Zoicite just smiled innocently.  
  
"Why would I do a thing like that?"  
  
"Because Serena asked you to," I said simply and turned away from the table in frustration. "Tell her that I want to speak to her. That I think its important and that I wish she wouldn't hide from me."  
  
I walked away.   
  
I know that Serena came out from her hiding place, I felt her move. How did I suddenly get this knowledge of her? Was it because of the mixing of blood? Or did I always have this ability and just noticed it?  
  
I mean I can feel vampires. But when I'm surrounded, like I was right now at the pavilion, then I can't pick out the ones that I do know and the ones that I don't.  
  
Something changed three days ago, and I want to know why.   
  
I also wanted to know why the name Endymion keeps coming up.  
  
* * *  
  
I watched him go and I cringed. He was very angry about something. Andrew didn't follow him out, he stayed with Zoicite and then gave me this Look when I came back over.  
  
"You just missed Darien," Zoicite said idly. I rolled my eyes and then looked at Andrew.  
  
"And you're still here because?"  
  
"I think that you and I need to talk Serena," Andrew said simply and I rolled my eyes again.  
  
"Fine," I said, "I'm assuming privately?"  
  
Andrew nodded and then mock bowed, "You lead the way, Milady."  
  
I sighed and led him into my makeshift office for the Masquerade. I went in and sat down at my desk, gesturing to a chair for him to sit.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked and smiled innocently.  
  
Andrew was not fooled, "Darien."  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"How about the fact that you keep messing with his mind?" Andrew said and leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving mine.  
  
"I'm not messing with his mind," I said truthfully.  
  
And it was the truth, I gave up on mind games three days ago. It was hard, but I did give them up. I wanted to be with Darien, I cared for him so much that its not worth ruining.  
  
If only he could understand that.  
  
"Don't give me that shit Serena," Andrew said angrily, "Right now he is so confused that he doesn't know whether you care about him, playing with his mind, or just sick because he reminds you of your dead husband."  
  
My eyes widened and by voice caught in my throat, "What do you mean?"  
  
I am not sick.  
  
"Endymion. He said that Beryl called him that and yesterday he apparently found your wedding portraits. I've seen the pictures, its almost uncanny how they look alike."   
  
I was quiet for a very long moment.  
  
Damn her.  
  
Look at the stupid mess she's made.  
  
Damn Darien for not being able to understand.  
  
Damn it all to hell, to coin Darien's phrase.  
  
"He's worried about nothing," I said finally, "It may be impossible for you to understand, but I am not a sick and deranged girl. I care about Darien for who he is, and not because he is like Endymion."  
  
"So he is like your dead husband," Andrew pressed.  
  
I sighed, "He and Endy are very much alike. At the center they are almost the same person. But they are different, and I care about Darien for being Darien. And...." I stopped, wondering how much to tell Andrew.   
  
True the man had been my brother in another life, but now....now I wasn't so sure on how he would react.  
  
"And?" he prompted after it took me awhile to respond.  
  
"He is Endymion. The reincarnated version of him anyway."  
  
Andrew's eyes widened slightly and I knew that he was replaying everything that he had witnessed in his head, going over every last detail.  
  
Some things never change.  
  
I waited for him to process it all, wondering how he would react.  
  
"Dare would freak if you told him this," he said after a moment.  
  
"Therein lies my dilemma." I smiled slightly and kept his gaze, "Are you going to tell him."  
  
"What would you do if I said yes?" he raised an eyebrow, challenging me.  
  
"I wouldn't kill you, if that's what you're asking. I would like to tell him in my own time, when its necessary and I know he won't have a mental breakdown. I want him to see that I love him for him, not because he is Endymion." I was trying to get him to understand. "Each life, Endymion has changed, becoming a different person every time. Just like I change through time, so does he."  
  
"I thought that vampires were the same then as they are now," Andrew said raising an eyebrow.   
  
I was tempted to laugh, but I just raised an eyebrow. I needed him to understand.  
  
This was Darien's best friend and best friends always came before girlfriends. Especially when the girlfriend is a vampire.  
  
I think that I might have even prayed at that moment.  
  
"I won't tell Darien," he said after a long moment. He stood and I watched him, "This is something that he needs to hear from you. But Serena you have to tell him. And I think that sooner is better than later."  
  
I smiled, very much relieved. "I will tell him, Andrew."  
  
He sighed and turned to go. He stopped at the door and turned to look at me over his shoulder, "So who was I?" he asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
I just smiled, "When you're ready I'll tell you," I said impishly, "And not a moment before."  
  
He rolled his eyes and then was gone.  
  
I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes, leaning back and trying to relax.   
  
So that's why Darien was angry. He's weirded by the name Endymion. I sighed and started to massage my temples, a headache starting to build.  
  
Hell.  
  
How was I going to talk my way out of this one?  
  
We had come so far and now because of Berylka and that stupid Curse it was all going to be ruined again.  
  
Damn.  
  
I looked blankly at my computer screen and then started to type. I was going to tell Darien everything, but I was going to do it in my own way.  
  
* * *  
  
Two more days.  
  
I was pacing in my large room and making my serving girl nervous.  
  
Two more days and I would be married.  
  
Endy was coming back today. He would be here tonight.  
  
Two more days.  
  
"My Queen, you're going to make me sea sick if you don't stop pacing," Letian said and calmly stopped me from pacing.  
  
Did I forget to mention that I was Queen? It happened shortly after Endy had left, An'dre was crowned King of Atlantis and I was crowned Queen. We spent the last six months going over how my marriage to Endymion was going to work.  
  
After many arguments and letters back and forth. Along with treaties and alliances, a decision was reached.  
  
I would spend three months at Atlantis and then three months at K'thia. Endy would always be at K'thia and And're would always be at Atlantis.  
  
So I would spend three months with my husband and then three months away from him.  
  
I already dreaded it. These past few weeks since his last visit had seemed like eternity. The minutes seemed like hours, the hours like days.  
  
I shook my head to clear it. Pretty soon I'd be bursting into song.  
  
Letian smiled and made me sit down, "My Queen, if you do not calm down, then you will be in no state to see King Endymion."  
  
I winced, "You're right," I said quietly and was almost ready to start pacing again. "Can you find out how long until his ship arrives?" I begged.  
  
Letian gave me a worried look, "Your majesty, I'm not sure if leaving you alone is a very good idea....." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Please?" I pleaded and finally she relented.  
  
"Fine. Just don't pace."  
  
I smiled, "Don't worry about me!"  
  
She gave me this look, like she didn't believe me, and left.   
  
After she was gone for a short while, I felt the need to pace nervously again. Remembering my promise I instead went out onto my balcony and looked over the waters.  
  
His ship would be arriving on the other side of the palace, but I still stared out over the water.  
  
I almost screeched when I felt two strong arms slip around my waist, and pull me into a strong chest. "Miss me?" a deep voice murmured into my ear and then preceded to kiss me along my neck and shoulder.  
  
I wriggled around to get a better look at him, "ENDY!" I flung my arms around his neck, pulling myself up to kiss him. He laughed softly and kissed me.  
  
To my extreme disappointment, it wasn't a very long or passionate kiss. He slowly tried to pull away, but I didn't let him.  
  
"Senna, please," he murmured into my hair and I made a small sound of distress, but let go.  
  
"You're not happy to see me?" I asked quietly.  
  
He looked at me in surprised and then lightly touched my face, "Of course I'm happy to see you. But we are to be married in two days. And now that we are engaged, one does not passionately kiss their fiance when they are alone."  
  
I raised an eyebrow and lightly placed my hands on his shoulders, "Why not?"  
  
He gently took my hands and held them in his own, "Because, my beautiful Senna, I would not be able to stop."   
  
Endymion gave me a very pointed look. My eyes widened considerably.  
  
"Oh." I pulled my hands away and let them drop to my sides.   
  
He smiled and then lightly kissed my forehead. "I will not do something rash in the heat of a passionate moment, I love you too much for that."  
  
I smiled and then kissed his hand, "I understand," I said and took a small step back. "You're here early! You weren't supposed to arrive until the banquet."  
  
He grinned, "What can I say? The winds were in our favor and I left early. I missed you too much."  
  
"I thought I was going to go stir crazy," I said and looked over the sea. Endymion came to stand next to me, we were close, but not touching. "I forgot how much time we spent together. How much time we just spent talking."  
  
"How much time I spent holding you," he said quietly and smiled down at me, "That's the one that's bothered me the most."  
  
I rolled my eyes, "You are such a man," I muttered, but he knew I was teasing.  
  
He grinned impishly, "What can I say? I enjoy knowing that you are mine, just like I am yours. And it two days it will be for eternity."  
  
Two days.  
  
I closed my eyes.  
  
My life would be severely different in two days. I would be a wife and a woman.  
  
Two days.  
  
* * *  
  
I was standing very still as Min'ko and Letian dressed me in my wedding dress. It was a deep blue, the color of the ocean. They were wrapping the layers of silk around me and I was trying not to shake. As they placed the actual dress on me, I felt like bolting out the door.  
  
"I can't do this," I whispered and Min'ko looked at me surprised.  
  
"Why not? I thought you loved him."  
  
"I do," I said and looked at myself in the mirror. They were now braiding my hair and placing feathers and jewels in it. "But what if he's only doing this for the alliance? What if he really doesn't love me? What if he's just pretending and he thinks that I'm still a girl-child? What if--"  
  
"What if you're worrying for nothing?" Letian asked me and smiled. "I have seen the way he looks at you, when he doesn't think that anyone's watching. His eyes are so full of love for you that he is blind to all the other women around him. And when other men even give the hint that they are thinking about you in what he considers dishonorable terms he looks ready to murder them for their thoughts."  
  
"You're majesty, you have nothing to worry about." Min'ko added and smiled, placing the last piece of jewelry on me. It was a silver trident on a thin chain of silver; Endy had given it to me as a birthday present when I turned sixteen. "And besides of all the women in the world he could have, he wants you. Trust me, My Queen, Endymion wants you and has been exerting a lot of control these last few months."  
  
I looked at her blankly.  
  
Min'ko sighed, "He slept in your bed for over a year without giving in to desire. You have no idea how hard it is for them. It is very clear that you are the only woman he wants in his bed. He could have anyone, but he wants you."  
  
I blushed. I had forgotten that Min'ko knew more about a man's passion than I did.  
  
A servant poked their head in the dressing room. "My Queen, its time."  
  
The two girls led me to the doors of the Temple. They kissed me on my cheeks and then left me alone.   
  
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Then I slowly opened the doors.  
  
A priestess was waiting for me. She smiled and then led me down the long hall to another set of doors. They opened and I found myself looking down a long aisle that had the guests seated on either side. I bit my lower lip and then slowly made my way down the aisle.  
  
Endymion was smiling at me as I came towards him. He looked very regal in the black and silver he was wearing. A long and large sword hung at his side as he held out his hand to me.  
  
Standing at an alter were Reishe and Jedeite. They were smiling as well and told us to kneel in front of them. He helped me kneel and then knelt next to me.  
  
Reishe began spouting off something about endless love and the sanctity of marriage. Not that I didn't agree with her, its just that Endy held my gaze completely.  
  
"You look amazing," he whispered in my ear, and I felt a wave of pleasure go through me.  
  
I don't care what anyone says. Having the man you love tell you how beautiful you are to him is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.  
  
"Thank you," I whispered back. "You look wonderful. Almost like a King."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "Almost?"  
  
I grinned and turned my attention to Reishe and Jedeite. "You'll look it when the ceremony's over."  
  
"Serena, High Queen of Atlantis, Daughter of Ikulo and Kenjul, Sister to High King An'dre, Son of...." she went on for about five minutes with my title. "Do you accept this man, King Endymion of K'thia, Son of..." another five minutes went by as she gave Endymion's title before she continued.  
  
"As your Husband. To be with during times of Peace and times of War. To Rule with Equally in both of your countries. And to love with all of your heart, to cleave only unto him, and to support until the Gods decide to take you from this earth?"  
  
This was obviously a K'thie marriage ceremony. The Atlantis one is different. K'thia and Atlantis are very different countries when it comes to stuff like this.   
  
I looked up at Endy and he held my hand a little tighter, "I do." He smiled and lightly kissed my hand, lightly brushing away the stray tear that had fallen during Reishe's speech.  
  
Reishe smiled and then nodded to Jedeite who continued the ceremony, "Endymion, King of K'tha, Son of Terra and Mykal, Brother to Princess Amilyn, Daughter of...." he went on for about three minutes, apparently my family line was longer than his. "Do you accept this woman, High Queen Serena of Atlantis..." I sighed, this was taking forever. I almost wished that this was a simple ceremony without titles.  
  
"As your Wife. To be with during times of Peace and times of War. To Rule with Equally in both of your countries. And to love with all of your heart, to cleave only unto her, and to support until the Gods, decide to take you from this earth?"  
  
I held my breath for a long moment as he smiled down at me again, our eyes meeting.  
  
"I do."  
  
Jedeite grinned and Reishe rolled her eyes at the mushiness of it all. "Then by the Power of the Gods," both intoned together, "We declare that no man or woman will destroy this union," they took a blue ribbon and entwined it with a black ribbon, "It is blest by Us and will suffer through all trials. Love will triumph and they will be Husband and Wife." The ribbon was tied around our wrists, joining us together, physically and with the Power of the Gods.  
  
And I could feel our souls join at that very moment.  
  
Simple silver rings were slipped onto our fingers by Reishe and Jedeite to solidify the marriage. Then the ribbon was cut and I could feel the Power of the Gods again.  
  
Endy and I looked at Reishe and Jedeite, who exchanged a secret smile. Jedeite nodded and Endymion grinned. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, my arms linked around his neck.   
  
He had to lift me off the floor slightly, he was so tall, but I held onto him, looking up at him. He smiled and then leaned down and kissed me softly. It was our first kiss as husband and wife and there was a Power in that kiss.  
  
I could feel his soul in that kiss, and I he must have felt mine because the kiss became very passionate very quickly. It was more passionate that any other kiss that he had ever given me before.  
  
When we parted, I was breathless and I think he was too. Endy smiled and kiss my forehead.  
  
"L'tie qui, Senna," he whispered, wrapping an arm around my waist.  
  
"Xalliva zi, J'thia."  
  
* * *  
  
The party that followed was long and boring. An'dre insisted that there had to be a feast that lasted long into the evening.   
  
He also insisted that I meet Endy's family.  
  
His mother and sister were both there, along with Zander. Amilyn had finally gotten used to the idea that Endymion was in love with me, and grudgingly had to admit that I was not a barbarian. She still didn't like me, but I could understand that.  
  
I didn't like An'dre's First wife very much either, I despised his second one. I think its a sibling thing.  
  
His mother, however, hated me.  
  
Which I was a little upset at. It was not going to be very easy living in K'thia when she believed that I had forced her son into a hateful marriage. I was an Alantian and she thought that I was even more than a barbarian than Amilyn did.  
  
And I think she thought that I was a tramp.  
  
Even then that stupid stereotype existed, at least in K'thia. A man could bed whomever he chose, but a woman was a slut if she bedded any man who wasn't her husband. We were different, however, in Atlantis we didn't think that. Maybe we were ahead of our time, or maybe we were just crazy.  
  
But she thought I was a slut and had seduced her precious little boy.  
  
Someone needed to tell her that he had plenty of experience long before he met me.  
  
Anyways, here I was at the banquet, sitting next to my new husband and having him whisper wonderful things in my ear.   
  
Things that made me blush at times.  
  
And Dowager-Queen Terra came over and effectively pulled me away from Endy. I saw a dark look cross his face, but with a stern gaze she kept him from interfering with what she wanted.  
  
Apparently she wanted to talk to me.  
  
Alone.  
  
I sighed and stood, letting her pull me into a private corner to talk.  
  
"My dear Serena," she drawled, "let me congratulate you on effectively managing to marry the most Powerful man in the world."   
  
Great, she was going to try to insult me under the mask of complementing me.   
  
Good thing that I had Prisma for a cousin and knew how to handle a power-hungry woman.  
  
Gods, Prisma was viscous.  
  
So, I faked a look of innocence, "Thank you, but I married your son, not my brother." I ignored the glare that she gave me, "But I do thank you for the congratulations on marrying Endy, since that was what you intended."  
  
She raised an eyebrow, "Too bad that you will have to spend three months away from him. You won't be able to control your catch."  
  
My eyes widened, I hadn't expected an attack like this.   
  
Dowager-Queen Terra smiled with a look of triumph, "What? You expected that a man with the appetite that Endymion has to remain celibate while he is away from you."  
  
So she wasn't under the misconception that her little boy was innocent.  
  
She thought I was.   
  
Wonderful.  
  
"Endymion and I were just married," I said quietly, "That means something to both of us. He wouldn't go back on his wedding vows."  
  
Terra laughed, "Oh you poor naive child. Marriage vows don't mean much when your wife is across the sea and gone for three months."  
  
"Just because your husband had problems with his attention span doesn't mean that Endymion will," I said angrily, but I was, for the first time in all of this, beginning to doubt Endy.  
  
Terra sighed, "Just don't be surprised. And don't make a fuss about it. It would be un-Queenly."  
  
Then she left me alone, a triumphant smile on her face.  
  
I stood there for a moment, lost. Then I turned and went outside.  
  
I wasn't alone for more than five minutes until I was joined by Endy.  
  
He quietly came up behind me and stood there for a long moment. "What did she say to you?" he asked gently. I slowly turned around, suddenly aware that there were tears streaming down my face.  
  
"It's not important."  
  
Endymion smiled slightly and then reached down to wipe away my tears. "What did she say?" he demanded gently.  
  
"That you...when...you..." I sighed and regained my composure, "When I leave in three months, not to expect you to...to...be faithful to me." My voice was barely a whisper and my eyes were locked on the floor.  
  
Endy made me look at him. He leaned down and gently kissed me. "She's wrong."  
  
"That's what I thought...but...."  
  
"Do you trust me that little then?" he asked. "Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"  
  
"No! It's just that...that..."  
  
"My mother is wrong," he said simply and kissed me again, this time more passionately, drawing me close to him. "I love you and would never do that to you." He wiped my eyes again before kissing my forehead and pulling away. "Now, I'm going to go talk to her and then we can leave. That is if you want to."  
  
I looked up at him and the faintly alien feeling of desire went through me for a brief instant. He smiled and kissed me again.   
  
"I'll take that as a yes," he murmured before walking back inside with me by his side.  
  
Terra was now talking to An'dre and I unconsciously shivered. Endy must have felt it, because his arm went completely around my waist, pulling me possessively to his side.  
  
We walked up to them and the talking got more quiet. Its seems that An'dre was angry at her.  
  
But it was nothing compared to the anger that Endymion had for her.  
  
If I hadn't been so angry with her, I would have pitied her. Endy is frightening when he's angry.  
  
"Mother, I need to talk to you. Now." His voice was clipped and short. She looked up at him surprised, she clearly hadn't expected him to take that tone of voice with her. Slowly she stood and went a ways away from An'dre and me.  
  
I watched them for a moment and then looked at An'dre. He ran a hand through his short blond hair and sighed. "I'm sorry, Serena. She had no right to say that to you."  
  
I looked at him questioningly. "How do you know what she said to me?"  
  
He grinned impishly, "I read lips," I raised an eyebrow and looked over at Endymion and Dowager-Queen Terra.  
  
"Then tell me what he's saying to her."  
  
An'dre sighed, "Fine," and then he narrowed his eyes, concentrating on what was being said.  
  
"Endymion is something wrong?"  
  
"I don't appreciate you speaking to Serena like that," he said looking down and glaring at her. "She is my wife and I expect you to treat her with respect."  
  
"Whatever do you mean, my son?" she was giving him an innocent look.  
  
"Bitch," I muttered.  
  
An'dre almost looked away from the conversation and I could tell he was surprised. Normally I didn't talk like that.   
  
"She told me what you said to her. And frankly Mother, you're wrong. I wouldn't do that to her."  
  
"My poor child. Do you not realize that the spell she has you under will fade soon? Possibly before we arrive at Kelkatha. I know your tastes and you will tire of her within the month." She reached up to gently touch his face, but he grabbed her hand, holding it tightly by the wrist.  
  
"That ended the night that I met her, Mother. I don't expect you to understand the depth of feeling that I have for Serena. But she is my wife and I love her. If I hear from her that you are making her doubt that, then I will exile you to your summer home."  
  
Her jaw dropped, "You would do that to your own mother?"  
  
"Yes. I am a Husband now and my Wife comes first. Then my Kingdom. Then my Family. Then my Friends. Father may not have done that for you, but I will do it for Serena. And just because she will be gone three months at a time doesn't mean that I'm going to jump into bed with another woman."  
  
She stared at him blankly and then her eyes narrowed. "I cannot believe that you would put an insignificant girl in front of your own mother!"  
  
Endymion sighed, "She is not insignificant. She is the Queen of the most powerful Kingdom on earth and I love her. Your manipulation techniques may work with Lyn, but they will not work with me. Now I am King, don't force me to order you to be nice to your Queen."  
  
Terra glared at him for a moment and then curtsied deeply, her moves sarcastic, "Yes, My King." Then she walked away.   
  
Endymion stood there for a long moment before walking back to us. An'dre sighed, "What a great thing to happen at a wedding celebration," he muttered and sat down.  
  
I just stared at Endy surprised as he came back to me. He looked at An'dre and sighed, "You followed the conversation didn't you," he said calmly and looked down at me.  
  
I blushed, "I asked him to," then I held my head up and looked him in the eyes, "I thought it only fair."  
  
He laughed and kissed me softly, "Understood," he said and looked at An'dre who grinned and suddenly Endy and I were very much alone.  
  
He lightly touched the side of my face and kissed me again. "I think we can leave without attracting too much notice," he said quietly and I flushed, "That is if you want to."  
  
I laughed and looked up at him, "I think that you're asking the wrong question," I said quietly and hugged him, wrapping my arms around his waist, "You know how long I've wanted this."  
  
He smiled and then picked me up, holding me close to his chest and I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck. We quietly left the banquet and made our way to our new chambers.  
  
I began to trail kisses down along his jaw and neck and he carried me. "You little minx," he murmured into my hair as I got to his throat he laughed, "That tickles," he teased and opened the door to our room.  
  
He stepped into it and quietly kicked the door closed behind him before setting me down. His hands trailed down my shoulders and arms before settling on my waist and pulling me close. His mouth met mine in what became a soul-searing kiss.  
  
I slowly slid my hands up his chest, resting them lightly on his shoulders as the kiss deepened. I was vaguely aware that his hands had moved to my back and he was slowly pulling away parts of my wedding dress. His mouth moved down along my neck and shoulder, then down along the neckline of my dress.   
  
I just closed my eyes and tried to breath, something that had suddenly become very difficult, before I unclasped his cape and letting it fall to the ground. His cape was followed by his shirt, my dress and then his pants before he picked me up.  
  
This time he laid me down on the bed. He looked deep into my eyes, seeming to stare into forever and again I felt his soul touch mine.   
  
Then, he kissed me.  
  
We didn't get much sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
The sun was high in the sky by the time I managed to open my eyes. There was a very comforting warmth at my back and I smiled when I thought about who is was. I rolled over and looked up at my Husband.  
  
Husband.  
  
The title ran through my thoughts and I shivered with a kind of happiness.  
  
And then I remembered last night and drew closer to him.  
  
His arm snaked around me, forcing me to rest my head on his chest. I smiled when I felt his hand run through my hair and his other hand ran lightly down my back causing goose bumps to form.  
  
"Morning Wife," he murmured, his voice a deep rumble in his chest.  
  
"Morning Husband," I whispered and looked up at him, smiling as he dark blue eyes peered into my aqua-marine. His long black hair was all around us mingling with my auburn curls. I sighed and snuggled into him.  
  
We were quiet for a long time before I kissed him softly.   
  
"You were right," I said quietly and he looked down at me confused.  
  
"About what?" he asked thumbing my cheek.  
  
"It was worth the wait," I said quietly and smiled again, "It was making love."  
  
Endymion looked down at me and kissed my forehead, "I agree," he murmured, "My beautiful Senna."  
  
I giggled and closed my eyes and lightly stroked his chest. "We should probably get up sometime," I said quietly and then giggled again, "You never know when An'dre will come bouncing through the door with his annoying cheerfulness."  
  
Endy laughed and then kissed me softly, "Let him," he said rolling me onto my back.  
  
  
* * *  
  
Nearly six months later, I was trying to wipe my mouth of the retch when Letian came bouncing into my chambers. I was sick for the fourth time this week and I was getting more and more irritable. Why did I have to be sick now? Our ship was going to land on K'thia soil in less than a day, possibly even tonight and I was sick.  
  
I grumbled something, trying to ignore the brunette who insisted on being happy. Her look of perkiness disappeared however, when she saw me. "Are you sea sick?" she asked.  
  
I shook my head. I don't get sea sick, I'm from Atlantis. It's bad form if you get sea sick.   
  
No, I was just sick.  
  
I paled.   
  
And I had to retch again. I rolled out of the bed and made for the privy. I came out again a few minutes later and Letian gave me a glass of water. I drank it slowly and then laid back down.  
  
"You'll never guess what happened!" she began, sitting down next to me on the bed.  
  
I sighed, "Probably not, tell me."  
  
Letian rolled her eyes, "You would think that by now you would be able to tell when he's going to show up."  
  
"ENDY'S HERE?!" I sat up quickly and my stomach turned. Wincing I laid back down and tried not to move.  
  
She giggled, "Yes. His ship rendezvoused with ours an hour ago. He's coming to see you. You would think that this wouldn't be a surprise."  
  
I groaned. I was always surprised by what he did. A month ago he showed up at the ambassador meeting that I was supervising. The meeting was suddenly drawn out another two days because of it.  
  
Apparently proceedings slow down when you're late in the morning.  
  
"I thought you would be happy to see me," his voice said from the doorway. I slowly opened my eyes and sighed. He was standing there, managing to take my breath away and I was sick.  
  
"I am," I pouted and stuck my tongue out at him childishly. "I'm also sick and look like death."  
  
He smiled and Letian and he exchanged a look before she curtsied and left us. He came and sat on the edge of the bed, lightly holding the side of my face.  
  
"You look beautiful Senna," he said and kissed my forehead.  
  
I pulled away slightly, "Careful. You might get what I've got."  
  
He laughed slightly and kissed me again, "Somehow I don't think so."  
  
I gave him a very blank look and he grinned impishly. "Letian told me that your cycle is off," he said and I flushed.  
  
"You know, you're not supposed to comment about the cycle," I muttered and he rolled his eyes. "So? I'm only a month late...." my eyes widened and my voice trailed off. "No way."  
  
Endy grinned and lightly touched my stomach, "I had a feeling that last night at the Summit Meeting, so I asked her to watch you. You've also been craving kisthos," he said, naming a rare fruit that only grew in Northern K'thia. I flushed, the fruit was odd tasting and I hated it the moment that I first had it, now all I wanted was kisthos at times. "And I believe that you are morning sick. She says that by noon you're usually your normally cheerful self."  
  
I groaned and curled up into a little ball. "I'm only sixteen," I muttered, "We've only been married six months and I'm pregnant. Wonderful."  
  
Endy looked at me surprised, "I thought you wanted a child."  
  
"I do," I said, "I don't want to go through having one. I saw Amilyn have her twins and that was enough for me. And I'm going to look like a melon."  
  
He laughed softly and kissed my forehead, "You'll look beautiful," he said and then laid down next to me, drawing me into his arms. "And I'm sure I can get some doctor to tell me that having you travel back to Atlantis would be dangerous to the baby's health."  
  
I looked up at him, "You demon."  
  
Endy kissed me and grinned impishly, "Don't you know it."  
  
* * *  
  
"I am going to kill you when this is all over," I said to Endy. Well it was more a scream and I had a death grip on his hand.   
  
As it seems, easy labors don't run in my family. It had been most of the day and I was sweaty and in an considerable amount of pain. I hated everything in that moment, especially men.  
  
Endy had tried to get out of being there in the beginning, but I had insisted.   
  
Actually I begged, telling him that I needed his strength to get me through this. If he loved me, he would stay.  
  
And he did, despite the death threats and bodily harm I promised him.  
  
"Just keep pushing," he said gently, holding me and kissing my temple.  
  
"That's easy for you to say," I muttered and continued to push.  
  
Luckily for both Endymion and me I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.  
  
I collapsed against the bed, exhausted and just let the servants clean up the room. I closed my eyes trying to breath calmly. A few moments later the beautiful bundle of joy was laid across my chest and placed in my arms. I looked down at him and smiled. Then I looked up at Endymion and smiled at him, oddly feeling euphoric.  
  
He kissed my forehead, stroking my matted hair. "You're beautiful," he murmured. "He's perfect."  
  
I just smiled and closed my eyes. The baby was lifted out of my arms by my now wonderful and amazing husband, and soon I was asleep.  
  
Three days later he was introduced to the K'thie Court as Antony Marcau and named heir of K'thia. I was happily holding my baby when I felt a weird presence and felt someone's eyes on me.  
  
Standing in a dark corner were two figures. One was a tall man with very pale skin and golden eyes. His hair was even blacker than Endymion's and fell loosely to his shoulders.   
  
Our eyes met and I felt a tremor of fear run through my entire body quickly followed by a feeling of peace and gentleness. **Don't be afraid, child.**  
  
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and my mind furiously searched for an identity to this man. He smiled slightly and bowed mockingly to me. I narrowed my eyes and then looked at his companion.  
  
Berylka.  
  
I blinked and held Antony closer to me. I shiver ran through my body and then I looked at them again. The man smiled and then they were gone.  
  
Then I remembered.  
  
*I curse any children that you might have that they're lives will become a destructive force in the world. They will destroy their loved ones.*  
  
* * *  
  
I still love my children. Even after eight thousand years, I love my children. Endymion and I had three. Antony, and then twins, Serenity or Reni as we called her, and Nathan.   
  
Antony ruled K'thia, and Reni and Nathan ruled Atlantis. It was because of them that Atlantis is only a legend, and K'thia is not even remembered by anyone. Even now it kills me inside to remember them.  
  
I'll tell Darien about them at the end, they aren't important to our story.  
  
Well to the story of whatever it is I'm trying to tell. See, I didn't get to be their mother, they were raised by Terra and Amilyn, not Endy and I.   
  
I closed my eyes and saved the file, again it was written in a language Darien would never be able to translate.  
  
And again it is not finished.   
  
Sometimes I wonder if I will ever finish it for him.  
  
If I'll ever give it to him to understand, and not have a mental breakdown.  
  
But right now I have to go see him and try to get him to forgive me.   
  
This is not going to be easy.  
  
* * *  
  
I'm not going to let this be easy.  
  
I was pacing in my office, angry at Serena for being there but not confronting me or talking to me. I was wrong, she didn't care about me and I shouldn't care about her.  
  
I should cut my losses. This isn't going to be anything but a sick relationship that's based on a weird attraction and lust on her end and love on mine. I can't live my life like that.  
  
Can I?  
  
Damn her.   
  
I pounded my desk in frustration. It was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn't.  
  
Why me?  
  
"Darien?"  
  
I looked up sharply and there she was. The bane of my existence.  
  
Or the reason for it.   
  
I guess it depends on how you look at it.  
  
"Zoicite told me that you came by while I was away," she said quietly slowly walking into the office. "He said you wanted to talk to me."  
  
I nodded, not really capable of much else, and gestured for her to sit down. She quietly closed the door and sat down in the chair across from my desk.  
  
"We need to talk," I said quietly.  
  
She was silent for a very long moment before meeting my eyes.  
  
"Yes. We do."  



	6. Chapter 6

An Angel From Hell  
By Kayla Chavi  
Rated: PG-13  
Genre: Alt/Romance  
Email: kaylachavi@yahoo.com  
  
"We need to talk," I said quietly.  
  
She was silent for a very long moment before meeting my eyes.  
  
"Yes. We do."  
  
I think I blinked at her several times before I managed to cover from my surprise.  
  
"W-what?" I stuttered. She smiled slightly.  
  
"You're right, we do need to talk."  
  
I blinked again. And then I took control of myself again. "I want to know why Beryl called me Endymion," I said being direct and blunt. Two things I was good at.  
  
Or terrible at, take your pick.  
  
Serena bit her lower lip and was quiet for a very long time. I knew she was just trying to phrase everything so it seemed like she was answering my questions, just by giving me more questions.  
  
"You are a lot like Endymion," she finally said, "She thinks that I think that you're Endymion."  
  
"Do you think I'm your dead husband?"  
  
I winced inwardly. That was cold and I could tell that it hurt her in some way.  
  
"You and Endymion are two completely different people," she said trying to smile, "You are so different from each other, even physically."  
  
"That's not answering my question," I said being blunt again.  
  
"No," she whispered looking down, "I don't think that you're Endymion. You're Darien Kincaid," she looked up at me and I saw her eyes were colored with blood, like she was about to cry but was trying not to, "A man that I love."  
  
Of course she had to do this.   
  
Of course she had to give me the guilt trip.  
  
Of course I had to be in love with her.  
  
I sighed and stood up, walking around the desk and knelt in front of her. I took her small hands in mine, a small gesture to show that all was forgiven and that I wasn't mad anymore.  
  
God, I can never stay angry at her.  
  
I gently thumbed the tears away and kissed her forehead and she looked up at me. Our eyes met and I saw such a sadness that I wasn't prepared for it. I also saw love, but I dismissed it after a moment.  
  
She's a demon, demons can't fall in love.  
  
"I love you Darien Anthony Kincaid," she whispered and I blinked. Where the hell had she gotten my middle name? "I love you. You're my soul."  
  
I didn't know how to respond to that, and apparently I didn't have to, because Serena was quite content on letting me hold her.  
  
* * *  
  
After she left it didn't take me very long to get angry with her again.  
  
I practically slammed the hundred dollars down on Andrew's desk. He looked up at me, very surprised. "What's this for?" he asked puzzled, "Did you owe me money?"  
  
I rolled my eyes, "You were right," I said and he blinked, "About Serena. She didn't answer my question and I felt like she was either telling me a half truth or a lie."  
  
"Which are about the same thing," Andrew pointed out and for a moment he looked angry. He just sighed and took the hundred dollars. "So are you going to stay with her?"  
  
"That depends if you think that I'm already with her," I said and sat down in one of his very uncomfortable chairs.   
  
"You know, four days ago I almost made love to her," I said out of nowhere.  
  
And I mean out of nowhere, Andrew just stared at me.  
  
"Okay, where did that one come from?" he said finally giving up on actually doing work and pushing the papers aside.  
  
I ignored him and continued, "She saved my life. She risked so much to make sure that I lived, when it would have been so easy to kill me. She could've let that Beryl thing rape me and kill me, but she didn't. She saved my life and then thought that I would reject her for it."  
  
"I take it she bit you," Andrew said idly.  
  
"God, Drew, she was in tears about it. I told her that I forgave her and I almost believed that she could actually care about me. I almost gave into everything that she had been trying to get me to do ever since we had met. God, I almost made love to her!"  
  
"What stopped you?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.  
  
"She did."  
  
"Say that again?" Andrew stuttered.  
  
"Serena did. She pushed me off of her--"  
  
"Don't need all the gritty details, Dare--"  
  
"--and said that we couldn't. And then she said something about when we make love it will be because I want it and I'm not suffering from blood loss." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.  
  
"Probably because she knew that you wouldn't be able to perform."   
  
I shot him a deadly glare and he just gave me an innocent look.  
  
"Very funny."  
  
"I thought so."  
  
"Get your head out of the gutter."  
  
"You're the one who brought it up."  
  
I rolled my eyes and just gave him a look. Finally I sighed. "So now I'm back where I started four days ago," I said, "Lost and confused....."  
  
"And in love," Andrew finished for me.  
  
"And completely and totally in love."  
  
"You're life sucks, Dare."  
  
* * *  
  
Jedeite was waiting in Rei's office when I got in that night. I raised an eyebrow, "Rei won't be in tonight, she has the night off," I said, but somehow I already knew that he knew that.  
  
He smiled slightly, "I'm not here to see Rei, I'm here to see you."  
  
Again I raised an eyebrow but just gestured to my office, inviting him in. "What did you want to see me about?" I asked as I sat down.   
  
Jedeite slowly sat down across from me and I noticed that he wasn't glowing. Which meant that he was trying to be calm and didn't want to intimidate me.  
  
"Serena," he said simply.  
  
"There's a big surprise," I muttered and met his eyes. "What about Serena?"  
  
He was quiet, "Do you have any idea what you've done to her these last few days?"  
  
My eye's widened. This wasn't what I was expecting in the least. He sounded like an upset brother.  
  
Wonderful. The last thing I needed was for her 'family' to get pissed off at me.  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
  
"When Serena came back from talking to you, she looked like she had died."  
  
"She is dead, so are you for that matter."  
  
"You know what I mean. She was so happy that day you forgave her for biting you. In fact that was the happiest I had seen her in a long time. Now," he sighed, "Even organizing the party she doesn't want to do anymore. She wants to die."  
  
"She is dead," I said again. I know I wasn't being very helpful, but Jedeite had a part of Serena I didn't.  
  
Her trust.   
  
And I wasn't just going to let the opportunity to actually get to know Serena just get away. She told Jedeite everything. That I was sure of, and so I wanted to know.  
  
He glared at me, "Serena has never hated what she is," he said slowly, "until whatever you talked about last night. She wants to die, to become dust."  
  
"Why doesn't she?" I asked surprised. Normally when these kinds of creatures wanted to die, they did.  
  
Jedeite smiled wryly, "She can't."  
  
"Can't?" I was confused.  
  
"She's unable to, Darien," he said and I could have sworn that his voice was gentle. "Serena, Beryl and me are the oldest vampires around, with the exception of the Master. We can kill each other, but we can't kill ourselves. You can't even kill her."  
  
I almost laughed. Like I want to kill her. That would be the day.  
  
I sighed, "So she's feeling suicidal and you won't kill her and she can't kill herself. Wonderful," I said dryly and ran a hand through my hair.  
  
"For a human you really are an unfeeling bastard," Jedeite said angrily and stood up. "You're her soul and you don't even care that your rejection is killing her inside."  
  
That again?   
  
I'm her soul. Great. Now if I only knew what that meant.  
  
"Care to explain?"  
  
Jedeite sighed, "When a mortal becomes a vampire, they loose their soul," he said and our eyes met, "No conscious, no remorse, no guilt. It's a very nice way to spend eternity, killing and not having to pay for it."  
  
Tell me something I don't know.   
  
I didn't say that, but my overly sarcastic and caustic mind wasn't being very kind. I wanted direct answers and I knew that I would never get them. It was making me irritable.   
  
If I could have hit him without breaking my fist I would have.  
  
"Sometimes we meet a mortal that we care for and then love. When we give them the only human emotion we have that's worth having, a part of their soul becomes ours. When that happens we are alive inside and the demon within us is kept away. We kill less, and when we do we sometimes regret it."  
  
Jedeite was quiet for a long moment, "You are Serena's soul, Darien. Your rejection is hurting her more than you could ever know."  
  
I lost myself in a lack of thought. I literally couldn't process what he was saying until it had been quite for almost ten minutes.  
  
"What happens if I die?" I asked instead of what I really wanted to say, "Will she become suicidal again?"  
  
"No. She will no longer have a soul until she loves again. So you see, Darien how important you are to her."  
  
I sighed and then nodded, trying to tell him that I understood. "Was she always like this? Always needing a soul?"  
  
It was his turn to be quiet for a long time.  
  
"Yes. Serena should have never been made into a vampire. She loved life and the sun too much to be made a demon. Unfortunately, she always loves men who reject her."  
  
"Reject her?"   
  
I was confused, who would reject Serena?  
  
Then I winced inwardly. I just did reject Serena, according to Jedeite.  
  
Jedeite sighed, "Her husband."  
  
"Idiot."  
  
He just laughed. "I agree."  
  
"I never meant to hurt her," I said after a moment.  
  
"I know. And I know you love her," he said and smiled at my very indignant expression. I never admitted to anyone but Andrew I was in love with Serena. "I can see it every time you look at her. You hide it well when she's around, but your eyes are always full of love."  
  
He slowly stood up and I just watched him, my jaw hanging open.  
  
"Don't be the idiot that Endymion was," he said and then in a blur of movement was gone.  
  
* * *  
  
I pounded a weeks worth of frustration out on the vampire that I had managed to corner while I was Hunting. It was a very satisfying feeling to see him poof into dust and become nothing more than a little pile of ash.   
  
I turned around sharply when I heard clapping from behind me.  
  
Standing there was Beryl, lazily leaning against the wall of the alley. She pulled away from it and slowly walked towards me.  
  
"I'm impressed," she purred in a low husky voice, "That was one of my masters."  
  
"That's great," I said dryly as I watched her. I wanted to make sure that she didn't get me in the same position that she had the last time. "I feel very special now."  
  
She just smiled and circled around me, my eyes never left her in the silence that followed.  
  
"My how you've changed, Endymion," Beryl finally said after a long moment, "There was a time when you didn't look at me with such hostility and hate. You used to look at me with love."  
  
I raised an eyebrow, "Somehow, I doubt that," I gave up on trying to tell this woman that I wasn't Endymion even though her words really confused the shit out of me. Serena said that I wasn't Endymion and Beryl kept saying that I was.   
  
Who was a I supposed to trust, a psychotic vampire or the even more psychotic thing that was circling me?  
  
"And why is that?" she asked with a pout, looking like I had mortally wounded her.  
  
"You aren't my type," I said with a lofty smile and she narrowed her red eyes at me.  
  
"That's right, I'm not a lying, conceited whore," she hissed.  
  
I lost my temper and used my forearm to backhand Beryl, her head snapped to the side from the force of it.  
  
Which was very idiotic on my part. She was a vampire and I was a mortal. Granted I was a Demon Hunter, but she was still a vampire.  
  
A Powerful vampire.  
  
She slowly looked back at me, a cold anger in her eyes. For a moment I thought she was going to kill me.   
  
Then she started laughing. She looked up at the sky holding her stomach and laughed, the sound echoing eerily off of the alley walls.  
  
"You really haven't changed," she said when she managed to calm down, "You will always protect that bitch until you die."  
  
She paused and our eyes met.  
  
"And Endymion," she whispered, closing the distance between us, "You will die for her. Just like you have, so many times," she murmured in my ear before kissing me softly.  
  
Her lips were hard and cold and I pulled back in revulsion. Beryl felt like a corpse, cold and dead.  
  
Which technically she was.  
  
Amazing that Serena never did that to me. While she was cold and hard, she was always soft when I held her.  
  
I snapped back to reality before my thoughts could wander down *that* dangerous path.  
  
I harshly pushed her away from me, "We'll see," I said just as calmly as she had been talking, "But somehow I don't think so."  
  
"Why? Because you would never die for the woman you supposedly love?" she gave me a skeptical look.   
  
My silence apparently gave her the answer she wanted.  
  
"I didn't think so. You will always die for her," she paused and was suddenly behind me, "or is that, because of her?" she whispered into my ear.   
  
Then she was gone.  
  
"Remember Endymion."  
  
I closed my eyes and then swore under my breath.   
  
"Wonderful. Just wonderful."  
  
* * *  
  
"What do you think?" I asked Jedeite as I twirled in the bright red dress. It was low cut and styled to the late 1600's except that it didn't have the long flowing sleeves.  
  
"I like the robes better, Reishe," he said smiling, though his eyes had already traveled my body several times with this dress.  
  
"But I'll look like a Priestess," I sighed coming over to sit in his lap, draping my arms around his neck. "Innocent and pure. Have you ever considered that I might want to look sexy?" He laughed softly and kissed my neck, moving his mouth along my throat. "Besides," it was my turn to smile, "I like your reaction to this dress better."  
  
"You haven't even tried on the robes yet," he pointed out.  
  
I closed my eyes and then clenched my jaw stubbornly, "I won't wear them."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "Why not Reishe?"  
  
"Because I'm not whoever it is that you want me to be," I said simply meeting his eyes, "I won't wear something that obviously reminds you of her, the real Reishe. I want you to want me, Rei Shien, not whoever it is you see when you look at those robes."  
  
He looked at me and kissed me softly, "You are who I want," he murmured into my ear, kissing me along my neck. Goosebumps and tingles traveled my spine.  
  
Damn it! I had to fall for a sexy vampire.  
  
"You are her," he continued simply, "Yes, eight thousand years will change a person, but you are who I want. I've always wanted you. I always will."  
  
I was quiet for the longest time and he slowly slipped his arms around my waist pulling me closer.  
  
"I'm your soul," I said simply and looked at him. He smiled and then nodded.  
  
"You always have been. I cry when you aren't around me."  
  
"You cry when I'm tired and we can't--" I stopped when I saw the unamused look on his face. I grinned impishly and then sighed, letting him kiss me again.  
  
We were quiet for a long moment.   
  
Then I smiled, "A Priestess?" I raised an eyebrow, "Why do I find that so hard to believe?" He smiled.  
  
"I was a Priest and it was very frustrating when you wanted to play by the rules and I was willing to go to Helika because of you. You were just too damn godly." He kissed me softly, "Though we found other ways," he teased and I actually blushed.   
  
We still had other ways. We only used them however when I was tired and he didn't want to half kill me. Sleeping with a vampire is not easy and frequently draining.  
  
We were quiet for the longest time as I slowly accepted what he was telling me. True I was very freaked out by it all. I mean he had spent his Unlife looking for me and then making me fall in love with him every time.  
  
He kissed my forehead, "If you don't want to wear the robes, J'thia, I won't ask you again."  
  
I smiled and lightly kissed his cheek, "Thank you," I murmured and rested my head on his shoulder and he held me close for the longest time.  
  
It was in that instant that I realized it.  
  
I was in love with an angel.  
  
An angel from Hell.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'm crazy."  
  
"I agree, Dare," Rei said smiling at me, looking me over.   
  
I was standing in the middle of my apartment dressed in a knight costume. It was black and silver and had a long cape that was draped over on of my shoulders. I had found it three days ago in a costume shop that Rei had dragged me into.  
  
"I can't believe that I'm wearing this. I feel like a big piece of metal."  
  
She laughed and straightened the robes that she was wearing and fussed with her hair.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked nervously as I attached one of my very real swords to my waist. If I was going to be in a crowd of vampires and other assorted demons and creatures then I was going to be prepared and armed. Rei was also armed, but she was able to hide her weapons in the monstrous robes she was wearing.  
  
Even in ten yards of crimson silk she was able to look exotic and beautiful. Then again, she was Rei Shein and could pull any look off.  
  
Well any look except innocent. She left that to Serena.  
  
"It's a wonderful idea," she said and turned to face me. "You'll have a good time after you grovel for forgiveness and everything will be alright." She made me look at her, her violet eyes dangerous for a second. "And you will have fun Darien Kincaid."  
  
"Yes Holiness," I teased and she sighed melodramatically.  
  
"I don't know why I put up with you," she said and I grinned.  
  
"Because I'm your best-friend-since-we-were-two-years-old," I said and kissed her nose impishly, "That's why."  
  
"And all this time I thought it was because you control my paycheck," she teased an gave me a hug. "It will be alright Darien," she whispered after a moment.  
  
"She doesn't know that I'm coming," I said after a moment, "what if she's given up," I closed my eyes, "What if I've made her so angry with me that she leaves me forever."  
  
Rei was quiet for a moment, "You really do love her, don't you."  
  
I looked down at her, my eyes filled with pain, "Yes," I whispered, "I do."  
  
She smiled and gave me a hug, "Everything will be fine, Dare. Serena will probably hug you and then kiss you quite passionately the moment she sees you."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" I asked, knowing that I was being uncharacteristically insecure.  
  
"Because this is Serena we're talking about," she grinned, "And she enjoys seeing you jump way to much."  
  
I rolled my eyes and then laughed. "You're right."  
  
"Of course I am," she said impishly and going to the door, "now are we going or not?"  
  
* * *  
  
The open pavilion was amazing. The pillars looked like they were marble and had banners of deep red and marine blue and silver draped between them. It looked like something out of a legend.  
  
Which was probably the intent, and knowing Serena, was probably a replica of the grand throne room of Atlantis.  
  
I saw the assorted demoni, elves, vampires, and mortals that made up Serena's circle of friends and was amazed at the differences of the people and things she knew.  
  
I was talking to a group of High Elves when a bright flash of red black and silver caught my eye.  
  
That's when I saw her.  
  
* * *  
  
I knew he was here the moment that he came in.  
  
My un-beating heart sang at the feeling of his presence.   
  
He came!  
  
He actually came!  
  
He didn't hate me!  
  
He came!  
  
I would comment on the patheticness of my thoughts and feelings. I was so dependant on him that I needed help. But then again, where is the fun in a healthy normal relationship.   
  
There isn't any, I tell you. It's better this way.  
  
At least that's what I tell myself. But I digress.  
  
I forced myself to calm down before I suddenly started breathing again and I searched the room for him.   
  
I myself was wearing a silver and black dress that was a lot like the dresses I wore so long ago. It was edged in red, which managed to pull out the little red that remained in my hair out. I stood still as I watched for him, searching the crowd.  
  
Then I saw him and our eyes met.  
  
* * *  
  
Slowly I started towards her, my heart pounding the entire way. She watched me closely, her face completely unreadable and I knew that I would have to be the one to approach her.   
  
God, I was so whipped.  
  
Serena was standing on the dais of a mock throne, cold and hard as a statue. I walked up to her and knelt formally, taking her hand in mine.  
  
I lightly kissed it and met her eyes. It was then that she smiled and drew me to my feet. Without words I apologized and with out words, she accepted it. I leaned down to kiss her softly and then I was suddenly enfolded in her arms, which were wrapped tightly around my neck.   
  
Her mouth opened and she kissed me passionately, our tongues intertwined for the longest time before she must have felt my embarrassment at the whole situation and slowly pulled away.  
  
"Thank you for coming," she whispered lightly touching my face, "My Knight."  
  
I laughed softly and kissed her again, "I will always come for you," I whispered.  
  
I realized that this was starting to sound like a badly written romance novel, but I was past the point of caring. She smiled and kissed me again.  
  
"This means everything to me," she murmured and our eyes met, "Everything."  
  
Then, in this dream, I took her hand and drew her out to the dance floor.  
  
* * *  
  
I smiled when I saw Darien and Serena kiss. Jedeite must've seen it too, for he lightly elbowed me in the ribs and pointed them out with a nod.  
  
"I knew it," I said smiling smugly and then giggled as he nuzzled my neck, biting it gently.  
  
"So did I, Reishe," he teased.  
  
I watched as Darien and Serena broke away, probably telling each other some kind of mush. Then I saw him pull her out towards the dance floor.  
  
I paled.  
  
"Is something wrong, J'thia?" he asked looking down at me.  
  
"Darien can't dance," I said very worried. "He's never been able to."  
  
Jedeite raised an eyebrow, "How can he not be able to dance?" he asked surprised.  
  
"Trust me," I said watched them.  
  
The dance floor cleared so it was just Darien and Serena.  
  
Alone.  
  
In the middle of a dance floor.  
  
Oh God, please help him.  
  
* * *  
  
I woke up from the amazing dream with a start.  
  
I was standing on the dance floor when it cleared and Serena and I were the only ones.  
  
That's when I remembered that I couldn't dance.  
  
Retarded chicken, remember?  
  
I paled and was to the point where I was about to walk away from Serena and leave her there. Love or no love, I was not about to make an absolute fool of myself. Dancing in clubs is one thing, ballroom dancing is a completely different.  
  
Serena's hold on my arm tightened slightly and she moved effortlessly into my arms. I swallowed nervously and looked down at her.  
  
"Rena...I-I--"  
  
"Shhh...." she put a finger to my lips, "Trust me."  
  
Then the music started.  
  
I know its odd, she led the first half of the dance as I got used to it. Amazingly, she made me look like a good dancer. We flowed effortlessly to the music in a simple but beautiful waltz.  
  
I was back in the dream. The perfect dream in which I could dance with my demonic angel.  
  
As the dance ended I pulled away from her and bowed. She smiled up at me and did a deep curtsy.   
  
"You're amazing," I said pulling her close and just standing with her, it was as if time had frozen just for us. "Completely."  
  
Serena just giggled and lightly touched my lips. "I--" she started and then stopped.  
  
She was cut off by a sudden blast that shook the entire pavilion. The mortals screamed and the rest of the partiers jumped. Smoke filled the area.  
  
"Someone wants to make an entrance," I heard Serena mutter. She stayed close to me and let me wrap an arm around her waist.  
  
When the smoke cleared I saw Beryl standing there.  
  
"This is a big surprise," another mutter from Serena. I blinked, I wasn't used to her being so sarcastic. "I don't believe that you had an invitation, Berylka." Serena tilted her head to the side and her tone was calm.  
  
"Really?" Beryl asked innocently, "That must have slipped my mind."  
  
The entire crowd was hushed, no one said a word as Beryl walked closer to me and Serena.  
  
"Isn't this a sweet site," Beryl continued gesturing to us, "An innocent little girl and her charming Prince."  
  
"That's Prince Charming," I said dryly, not letting her scare me.  
  
She and Serena both looked at me confused.  
  
"Never mind," I muttered. They obviously never read fairy tails.  
  
Serena continued to glare at Beryl. "Leave," she said and her voice held a deadly ring to it, "Now."  
  
"No. I don't think so," Beryl said smiling and continuing to walk towards us. "Someone has to tell Endy that you've been lying to him."  
  
"I haven't lied to Darien," Serena narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Good," Beryl raised an hand that began to glow with a sickly red orb, "Then you won't have anything to feel guilty about."  
  
I stepped in front of Serena and drew my sword.   
  
My sword wasn't a prop, it was an actual sword. A Blessed one at that.  
  
Beryl just smiled and flung the orb at us. I raised my sword and partially blocked it. It hit me and sent me flying across the floor. I landed on my shoulder and back, pain shooting through me as I tried to stand.   
  
I saw that Serena was holding her own orb of power, though hers was a bright blue as she flung it at Beryl.  
  
There was a lot of flashing of lights as I pulled myself to my feet. The next thing I saw was Beryl preparing to strike Serena, who was holding my sword.   
  
Which, I probably would have been upset at if the situation wasn't so dire.  
  
It was a Blessed sword.  
  
Beryl flung her Power at Serena and it impacted on her stomach creating a charred whole. Instantly she regenerated, but her orb died in her hand. She pulled herself to her feet and Beryl gathered her Power and was ready to strike when a loud clear voice rang out.  
  
"Stop!"  
  
Apparently that sound of this voice brought fear to most of the inhabitants of the room. Especially Beryl.  
  
Her eyes widened in fear and all the feeling of her Power in the room, died. I felt someone help me up.  
  
Jedeite.  
  
He too looked worried as he pulled me the rest of the way to my feet. I winced at the pain in my shoulder and stomach. It was only then that I noticed the burn that went through my clothes.  
  
He supported me as I looked for the speaker who could command so much.  
  
Between the two vampires appeared a tall pale man, with pitch black hair and gold eyes. He didn't look that much older than I did and I noticed the glow.  
  
A vampire.  
  
Which explained more than it didn't.  
  
Beryl was looking at this man in fear as she took a trembling step backwards. Serena however smiled as the man walked over to her. He gently gathered her in his arms, lightly touching her face, neck, and shoulders. They're gazes were locked and then I saw her tightly closer her eyes and bury her face in his chest. He sighed and rested his head on hers, lightly stroking her back and hair.  
  
Jealousy doesn't even begin to describe what I was feeling.  
  
Over the top of Serena's head he looked at Beryl.  
  
"What are you doing here, Child?" he asked her, his voice was calm and peaceful, though it was clear that Beryl had a reason to fear him. "Why do you attack Senna?"  
  
Beryl narrowed her eyes, "I am just fulfilling the Curse," she said and took another step away from them.   
  
"Fulfilling the curse my ass," Jedeite muttered from his place next to me and I looked at him confused. He sighed and looked at me. "Long story."  
  
I raised an eyebrow and decided to leave it at that.  
  
"The Curse does not include death. Endymion is not yours to kill. Now go, before you try my patience."  
  
"That's not fair!" Beryl shouted and the room began to titter. "You are always--"  
  
"I thought I told you to leave," the man's voice rose and had a hint of anger.  
  
"But--"  
  
"You are acting like a spoiled child, Ylka. When I tell you to do something, you will obey."  
  
They locked gazes and Beryl lowered her head.  
  
"Yes, Father."   
  
Then she was gone.  
  
Serena was smiling smugly to herself as she pulled away from the man. Again they looked at each other and he lightly touched her face before kissing her forehead. She looked over at me and her eyes filled with worry and took a step towards me.  
  
"Senna!" the man called to her and grabbed her wrist. She stopped and turned towards him. "Why do you go to him?"  
  
"I don't think that this is the time or place to have this discussion," she said calmly and he raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Nevertheless, we will have it." I saw a deadly ball of fire start growing at his hand.  
  
I swallowed nervously and paled.   
  
I don't think that this vampire liked me very much.  
  
Serena sighed and looked at him and then at me. "You know why," she whispered so softly that I could barley hear her.  
  
"He doesn't deserve that from you, he doesn't deserve anything from you, my Child," the man said and made her look at him. "Endymion does not know how."  
  
The ball of Fire began to grow. A low growl began to emanate from Jedeite, who seemed upset at the man's actions. Or maybe it was Serena's actions. I wasn't that sure about the whole thing.  
  
"He isn't Endymion!" Serena actually yelled and forced herself away from the man, yanking her wrist from him forcefully.  
  
I got worried. This man obviously was someone Powerful, and from the sudden tenseness of Jedeite next to me, along with his low growl, my worry became very validated.  
  
And I became frustrated. I hate Endymion, whether I was him or he was me or not, I hated him. He was beginning to get on my nerves.  
  
As was the tall vampire with gold eyes.  
  
"He is Darien! Endymion died eight thousand years ago. And I'll even admit that Endy was a self-righteous bastard, but he died and is never coming back. Darien is nothing like Endy! Darien and Endy are so different that its impossible to even believe that they could be the same person."  
  
She took a few more steps closer to me and stood in front of me and Jedeite.  
  
Her words were confusing me. First she says that I'm not Endymion, then she says that we are the same person.   
  
Make up your mind Serena!  
  
The man raised an eyebrow, "His inner core is that of Endymion."  
  
"I know," Serena whispered, "but that doesn't make him Endy. Anymore that that makes him Mamoru or David, or Miguel. He is Darien."  
  
"He is a Demon Hunter."  
  
"If they get caught, then they deserve to be killed," Serena said simply. "Don't tell me that you've started to feel something for the Young Ones."  
  
The man smiled and then laughed softly. He crossed to Serena and then hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and smiled up at him. He kissed her gently.  
  
"Be careful my Child," he said quietly, thumbing her jaw and then her neck. "Do not let him hurt you again. For if he does, I will do what I wanted to do four thousand years ago. I will do what I almost did."  
  
Great, now I was being threatened and I didn't even know why.  
  
Nor, at this point, did I care.  
  
And then, in a blur of movement, we were alone.  
  
I started breathing again, not really realizing until then that I had been holding my breath. I felt Jedeite relax and his growl stopped. Serena looked over at me.   
  
To be honest, I didn't know what I was thinking or feeling at that moment. I couldn't concentrate, but I did know one thing.  
  
I was very sure about it too.  
  
I reached out for her and pulled her to me forcefully, ignoring the pain in my shoulder and stomach and I held her tightly, burying my face in her hair. Her arms slipped around my neck and she pulled herself up to me. I pulled back slightly and then kissed her.  
  
When we finally stopped kissing the party had ended and all but Jedeite and Rei had left. They were standing next to us and Jedeite still had a look of worry on his face.  
  
"Serena," he started, "If you were not his favorite I would suspect that you would be very dusty," he said and she smiled slightly.  
  
"I'm his favorite because I did not fear him in the first place."  
  
Jedeite smiled slightly and shook his head and then hugged her. "You threw a wonderful party," he murmured and then began to speak in a language I didn't understand.  
  
Serena responded to whatever he was saying with a shake of her head. He raised an eyebrow and sounded like he was chiding her. She then gave him a pointed look at Rei. He shook his head and then took Rei's hand before walking away from us. I looked down at Serena and noticed that she looked extremely distressed about something.  
  
I put an arm around her waist and pulled her to my chest and made her look at me. Her eyes slowly rose to mine and she tried to smile. I just leaned down at kissed her softly.  
  
"Let's get out of here," I murmured into her hair.  
  
"Darien...." her voice trailed off and she bit her lower lip, "We...we need to--"   
  
I cut her off with another kiss. I didn't want to talk about what just happened. I didn't want to think about it and I sure as hell didn't want to analyze it.  
  
For once I was tired of asking unanswered questions. I just wanted her to be happy.  
  
"Let's not talk," I murmured again and lightly kissed her along her neck and pulled her close to me. I heard her laugh softly and then take a hold of me tightly around the neck. Suddenly we were moving faster than I could imagine and this time I remember flying.  
  
Then we were at my apartment.  
  
* * *  
  
It must have been around noon before I slowly opened my eyes, the sunlight was barely peeking in through the window shades. I looked over to my left and saw a beautiful blond nestled in the crook of my arm. I smiled and rolled onto my side, supporting myself with my elbow and resting my head on my hand. Lightly I stroked her hair and then pulled the sheet up to her shoulders, just in case she got cold.  
  
I had woken up next to Serena many times, but none of them were like this.   
  
Last night we had made love for the first time.  
  
It was as simple as that.  
  
It was as beautiful as that.  
  
And I better stop before I start spouting bad poetry.   
  
I sighed quietly and then kissed her forehead. God, she was so beautiful. I had given into everything last night. I gave into her and all my self-righteous thinking went right out the window.  
  
And if I had thought she would have been willing, I think I would have proposed to her last night. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. It was then that I decided that I had to tell her that I loved her. Even if it meant nothing to her, I had to tell her.  
  
Women like to say that being intimate means nothing but physical gratification. They're wrong. Last night meant everything to me. It was more than just sex.  
  
Okay, so it was the first time that it meant something. But it was better because of it.  
  
I also decided that I wanted to record everything, I wanted to tell our story from both our points of view. Last night was what started the story.  
  
I tend to think a lot in the mornings.  
  
I sighed again and this time gently kissed her lips. I saw her smile and knew that she wasn't asleep. Her eyes were still closed as she shifted closer to me, resting her head on my chest as much as she could.  
  
"What are you looking at," she murmured.  
  
I smiled and kissed her again, "The woman I love," I murmured back.   
  
Corny? Yes.   
  
Cheesy? Of course.   
  
True? Absolutely.  
  
Her eyes slowly opened and she looked at me, her expression bordering on unreadable and hopeful, "Really?" she whispered her fingers lightly touching my lips.  
  
"Really." I gently kissed her fingertips and she smiled brightly.  
  
"I love you Darien," she whispered and closed her eyes again, nestling into my shoulder and neck, "Xalliva zi, J'thia."  
  
I smiled and sighed, for the moment content and happy.  



	7. Chapter 7

An Angel from Hell  
Chapter 7  
By Kayla Chavi  
Rating: PG-13  
Genre: Alternate/Romance  
Email: kaylachavi@yahoo.com  
  
I left Darien as soon as the sun had set. I kissed him softly, telling him that I had things to do. One of them was feed, and I wasn't going to feed off of him.   
  
That took a high level of trust, something that we didn't have.  
  
It's possible that we would never have it in this life time.  
  
Mamoru had trusted me with everything. But Darien isn't Mamoru, anymore than he is Endymion. Same core, same soul, different people.  
  
I searched the streets for my victim, a man I had marked a short time ago with Andrew's help. I smiled when I found him coming out of an adult bookstore and then followed him as he took the back allies home. Andrew had told me that this man was a child pornographer, but had a very good lawyer, so he kept getting off. Darien couldn't kill him because he was human. Rei couldn't either, and she couldn't stand the thought of Jedeite draining an evil man like that. Andrew was in law enforcement and had a hard enough time cleaning up after the demonic community and Darien without adding the death of a bastard like this one.  
  
But I could.  
  
The man tried to fight me, the sick ones always do. They are so obsessed with self preservation and their mortal vices. I drained him slowly, making sure to make him feel every drop bleed out of him, not giving him the Euphoria at all.  
  
I let him fall lifelessly to the ground. I picked up the bag that he had been carrying and set it upon his body.   
  
Then with a thought made them become enflamed. Within moments they were ash, and I was quite pleased with myself.  
  
True I was taking my anger of Berylka and the whole situation out on the now ashy corpse, but I felt validated.  
  
Unfortunately I couldn't kill Berylka. Jedeite just believed that it was a matter of who was stronger, when it was really a matter of rule. The rules said that unless there was Power to be gained, then masters wouldn't attack each other.  
  
It was also a matter of respect.  
  
Even though I had no respect for her at all and thought she was the lowest being on earth.  
  
I walked home quietly, trying to think through all of this. If I could have sighed, I would have, for my thoughts kept centering on Darien.  
  
Then I smiled as I thought of what had happened last night and most of the early morning. Our relationship changed.  
  
Sex always changes things, either for the worse or better. I was hoping that it was for the better, for the whole experience had been wonderful.  
  
And he told me that he loved me.  
  
Thankfully it wasn't in the throws of passion. It's too easy to say it then when your mind is being assaulted sensuously and you aren't aware of it.  
  
But he had been fully aware this morning and very serious.  
  
In that instant I was happy.  
  
Of course, now I was doubtful of everything. The curse said that we would taste happiness before death. In all of his previous lives when I feel that utter joy and happiness, he dies within six months.  
  
Its not a very encouraging event when this does happen.  
  
Now, however I was angry and decided to do something about it. Something that might end this all for good.  
  
Something that included a visit to a Powerful priestess and a very good translator.  
  
* * *  
  
"You're children are awake," Endymion murmured in my ear and I groaned quietly as he nuzzled my neck. We were in bed and it was early in the morning. I was going to be going back to Atlantis with the twins, who were now near a year old and the doctors said that it was safe to travel again. Right now they were happily playing in their crib, but they were loud and we could hear them.  
  
I whimpered softly, not really wanting to get out of bed, not really wanting him to stop whatever it was he was doing with his hands. "They're your children too," I mumbled shifting so I could look at him.  
  
He smiled and continued to kiss by neck, "Before sunrise, they're your children."  
  
Impishly I stuck my tongue out at him and then sighed melodramatically. "Very well," I moved to get out of bed.  
  
"Of course," he pulled me back to him, "You could just ignore them and stay here with me."  
  
I laughed softly and lightly stroked his long hair, twisting it around my fingers, "That would be nice," I said and kissed his forehead.  
  
It was then that I decided that there was nothing more enjoyable then just being with your husband, letting him hold you and murmur beautiful things in your ear. Then whispering the same beautiful things in his ear. We just held each other that morning, I'll never forget the way I felt.  
  
I was loved.  
  
I was wanted.  
  
I was safe.  
  
That was the last time that Endy held me like that.  
  
The last time I was alive for him to hold me.  
  
* * *  
  
Out of no where they came. Three of them, large, tall and strong. I was knocked out my eyes meeting a deep blackness from which I thought I would never return.  
  
* * *  
  
Groggily I opened my eyes, trying to figure out where I was. I tried to move my arms but found that my wrists were bound over my head and chained to a large bed.  
  
This scared me. When women were chained like this, it could only mean one thing.  
  
I closed my eyes and mind to this thought. I didn't want to think that. I didn't want to believe that it could happen to me.  
  
I moved my legs to see if they too were bound and found that I could move them. I opened my eyes again and looked down at my clothes. I had been changed into a simple white dress that made me look like I was sixteen again.  
  
Looking around the room, I found that it was daytime, but all of the windows were closed and drapes were put over them to block most of the sunlight.  
  
I tried to concentrate on what happened to me, how I got here.  
  
I remember walking to the boat. Endymion was supposed to meet me and say good-bye. The twins were already on the boat and just waiting until we left. Antony had been hanging onto my skirt until I had left him with a servant. I was alone until the Dowager-Queen had intercepted me.  
  
"You're leaving again," she said, "It's a pity...." her voice had trailed off, as if she was trying to imply something.  
  
"What is a pity? That you were wrong?" I wasn't in the mood to deal with her attempts to break Endy and I apart.  
  
"That you will never see your husband again," she smiled cruelly and that's when I saw Berylka step out from behind a pillar.  
  
I took a step back, startled. I hadn't expected to see Berylka ever again. I narrowed my eyes at Terra, "You are in league with her!"  
  
"My poor child, only if you had realized that Endymion could never be yours," Terra had smirked.  
  
Then that's when I had been hit.  
  
And now I was here.   
  
Now, if I only knew where here was.  



	8. Chapter 8

An Angel from Hell  
By Kayla Chavi  
Chapter 8  
Rating: PG-13  
Genre: Alternate/Romance  
  
"Hello Darien," Beryl said as she stood up from her place at my chair. "I heard that you had a very interesting night last night," she commented idly, as she walked up to me.   
  
I narrowed my eyes at her and set down my duster. She stopped a few feet in front of me and she continued to smirk slightly. "I'm amazed, you made Serena a very happy woman," she taunted, "You gave her exactly what she wanted."  
  
"And what was that?" I raised an eyebrow, deliberately misunderstanding her.  
  
"Her soul." She lightly trailed her fingertips along my jaw and was about to run them over my lips when I grabbed her wrist to stop her. She laughed, "She forgot to mention that didn't she? Forgot to tell you that you carry her soul?"  
  
I clenched my jaw. I didn't know what she was trying to say, didn't know what she was trying to tell me. "I already know about the whole soul sharing thing," I said and shoved her away from me.  
  
Beryl laughed again, throwing her head back, "You poor blind mortal," she said sympathetically, "I don't mean that. I mean you carry two souls. And every time you screw her you give her that soul," she paused, "Endymion."  
  
I think that the name was supposed to upset me, and it did, but I didn't show her that. She didn't need to know that I hated the man, even though it some weird sense he was me.  
  
"Did you know that she looks for you every lifetime?" she asked idly, sitting on the edge of my desk as I just stayed silent, "Did you know that you try to kill her every lifetime? And," she paused a triumphant smile appeared of her face as she walked over to me, her mouth right next to my ear, "Did you know that every time she kills you?"  
  
My eyes widened. I didn't know what to think. I knew that Serena was a killer, but it never occurred to me that she would ever kill me, in whatever body I was in.  
  
"Its just something to think about the next time you ah," she paused as if searching for the right word. Then she smiled, "exchange souls." She slowly walked out the door.   
  
A few moments later she was gone and I breathed in deeply, unaware I had been holding my breath. I looked down at my hands and saw that they were shaking uncontrollably. I clenched them into fists and did my best not to think.  
  
Over and over I went through Beryl's words in my mind. I just stood in my office, blankly looking at the floor. Serena killed me every time? It didn't make sense. I would never try to kill her. At least I don't think that I would try to. How could I kill the woman I loved?  
  
After probably hours of long and involved thinking I came to one conclusion. Serena wouldn't kill me if I didn't try to kill her. And besides, I couldn't trust Beryl; she could be lying.  
  
I sighed and then went to go look for Rei. I needed to talk to her.   
  
Going into her office, I found that she wasn't in the room. Groaning, I turned to just go out on Patrol, when the book on her desk caught my eye.  
  
It was a rather old brown leather book that's pages looked like they would crumble to dust if it was handled the wrong way. I went over to the desk and looked at the spell that she was interested in.  
  
"Life to the Undead," was the rough translation. I blinked several times and then looked over at the notes that Rei had made.  
  
"She's insane."   
  
That was on a yellow sticky that had been placed on the edge of the page.   
  
Another yellow sticky read, "She's still insane."  
  
I blinked several times. My curiosity was now out of control, I began to look for more yellow stickies.  
  
I found two more. One said, "It's doable."  
  
The other, "He's going to kill me."  
  
All of this was in Rei's handwriting but it didn't make sense. Who was the spell for? Was it for Serena? Why would she want a mortality spell? And who was this he?  
  
I sighed and tore myself away from the book. I turned to go and bumped right into Rei.   
  
She was leaning against the door frame. She raised an eyebrow and I looked down at the ground, realizing that I had been caught.  
  
"See something you like," she commented dryly, blocking my escape.  
  
"I was looking for you," I said defensively and then gestured to the book, "So?"  
  
"So?" she repeated and just looked at me levelly.  
  
I sighed, Rei was going to make me beg and plead. She was going to play "Twenty Questions" and I had to grovel.  
  
It's a good thing that I'm not above groveling.  
  
"Who's it for?"  
  
"A friend."  
  
I rolled my eyes, "What is this friend's name?"  
  
She sighed and looked like she was battling with herself. After a moment she walked over to her desk and sat down. "Just forget that you saw that Darien."  
  
"Why? Who's it for?" I pressed. Again my curiosity was getting the better of me.  
  
Rei was quiet for a long moment. "I don't even know what she wants to do with it. All I know is that she wants to do this spell."  
  
I froze. The way she was talking I knew exactly who wanted that spell.  
  
Serena.  
  
My Angel.  
  
Damn it all to hell.  
  
* * *  
  
I went out on patrol, taking out my new found frustration on anything I could.   
  
I kept wondering why Serena wanted that spell. It could be that she wanted to become mortal, it was possible, but to me it seemed unlikely. She was used to the Power that she had, and I don't think that she would be able to give it up.   
  
Maybe she wanted to die.  
  
Now that one was more likely. Maybe she had gotten sick of immortality and was ready to die.   
  
But that still didn't make sense. There was no guarantee that she would be reborn and that we would meet again. Serena was very caught up in the idea of eternal love. I'm not sure why, but if what Beryl said was true, if what that man from the ball had implied was true, and if what Jedeite had told me was true, then Serena thought that we were soul mates.  
  
Soul Mates.  
  
Is that even possible?  
  
I sighed as I came back to my apartment. I was tired and exhausted, but faintly pleased when I felt Serena's presence. I slumped to the couch and closed my eyes.  
  
A moment I felt her cold arms encircle me and she pulled me down so that my head was resting in her lap. She lightly ran her fingers through my hair and lightly touched my face.  
  
"Was tonight that bad?" she asked gently and I just moaned into her lap. She laughed softly and held me. I couldn't believe that barely twenty-four hours ago, I had been making love to her. It just seemed like the day had lasted forever.  
  
"Here," she shift us so that we were lying side by side on the couch, my head cushioned by her stomach. "Tell me about your day," she said, sounding like an attentive girlfriend, not something that feeds off the living to survive.  
  
"Long. Hard. Yellow stickies. Old Book. Rei. Patrol. Home. Girlfriend."  
  
She laughed and I took that opportunity to breathe in the sent of her. God, she smelled wonderful.  
  
"I'm sorry you had a bad day," she said sweetly and then shifted again so that we were both eye level with each other. "Let me make it all better," she said innocently.  
  
I raised an eyebrow, she was being even more innocent and young than normal. I knew that it should have worried me, but at that moment I was too caught up in how blue her eyes were.  
  
I get distracted easily.  
  
She smiled and then kissed me softly.  
  
I never got the opportunity to talk to her about the spell. Suddenly I didn't feel so tired anymore.  
  
* * *  
  
Shamefully, I fell asleep soon afterwards. We had managed to get to my bed, so I held Serena and then I was soon asleep. I think that was her intent, but I still felt ashamed.   
  
Though that night I had the strangest dream.  
  
Suddenly I had very, very long hair and was wearing something that looked like it came out of a fairy tale. I was standing in a library with a woman was resembled Beryl. I wanted to ask questions but its like I had been given a script and had to play a part. All of my lines had been chosen for me.  
  
The door to the library opened and in walked a beautiful young girl. Her hair was a dark auburn with light red highlights. Her eyes were a dark aquamarine. She paled slightly when she saw the other woman.  
  
Then it hit me. This was Serena, I recognized her from that picture. The woman was probably Beryl and I was playing the part of Endymion.   
  
Wonderful.  
  
I get to be the man I hate.  
  
Ironic I'm sure.  
  
Serena narrowed her eyes hatefully, "What is she doing here?"  
  
Beryl just smirked and didn't say anything.  
  
Apparently I was angry about something, so I looked at Serena accusingly. She saw my look and paled.  
  
"Endy....what is she doing here?" she repeated again, looking at me worried.  
  
"She had been telling me something very interesting," I said coldly. Beryl stood and smiled. She had done what she wanted to do.  
  
I wish the dream had started earlier so I knew what she had told me that had me so upset.  
  
"My Lord, I'll leave you and your.....wife alone. This is obviously now a private matter."  
  
I saw Serena narrow her eyes and then look at Beryl coldly. I saw her lips move slightly and then Beryl paled. In a blur of movement she was gone.  
  
"What did she say to you to make you hate me?" Serena asked me quietly looking down at the ground.   
  
I sighed and my anger was suddenly gone. Apparently that was something that both Endymion and I shared. We just couldn't stay angry at her.  
  
"I don't hate you. I'm just confused."  
  
"About what? Maybe I can help." She tentatively took me by the hand and drew me over to the couch. She pulled me to sit down next to her.  
  
"She told me that you......"   
  
"I what?" she asked gently. She slipped her small cold hand into mine. Her large aquamarine eyes looked up into my own. Gods, she seemed so innocent. So young.  
  
"That you were unfaithful to me," I said and then immediately felt stupid. How could I not trust my wife?  
  
She smiled and then looked very relieved for a second. "And do you believe her?" she said and then made me look at her. "I am your wife Endymion. Yours and yours alone. I would never dishonor you. I thought you knew that."  
  
"I do!" I said a little more forcefully and then flushed. She was right. I sighed and then hung my head, "I'm sorry I doubted you."  
  
Serena gently made me look at her. "That's okay. You had a reason to doubt. I just hope that next time Berylka tells you something that you'll come to me first. Remember, she's not exactly human. We can't trust her." She lightly kissed me, "Now, I know you have a meeting to go to."  
  
I laughed and then nodded standing up. "I'm sorry." I said again.  
  
She smiled, "I know. Now go."  
  
I kissed her and then went to the door and down the hall. I thought the dream would end then, but it didn't. Apparently Endymion forgot something because he went back to the small library. I stopped outside the door, hearing voices.  
  
"I'm impressed, Senna," a deep male voice said and I was able to see him through the crack in the door. The change in Serena was amazing. She didn't look so young anymore. Her eyes were cold. "He believes every word you say."  
  
"Dame, please," she whispered, "I don't need this right now. I just want to be with him. He's my husband. He's my soul."  
  
He sighed and went over to her. I felt this surge of jealousy as he lightly touched her face. "I don't like seeing you so distressed, j'thia."  
  
"I'm fine," she said and then smiled, "Besides, he loves me, what more could I want?"  
  
The man sighed and then lightly kissed her forehead before taking her hand and kissing it. "You really want me to leave?" he asked and I narrowed my eyes as I saw her look up at him. He lightly bit her wrist and I heard her breathe in sharply.  
  
"Yes," I heard her gasp and then wrench her hand away. I looked at her and paled.  
  
Gods, she was glowing.  
  
She was one of them.  
  
And then I woke up.  
  
My breathing was hard and shallow, like I couldn't get enough air.  
  
It was like I had been scared out of my mind.   
  
I looked down to see that Serena was resting her head on my chest. I sighed and ran my fingers through her hair.  
  
Why?  
  
Why this dream?  
  
Why now?  
  
Why?  
  
* * *  
  
I bolted awake, scared out of my mind. Jedeite stirred next to me and blinked tiredly.  
  
"Reishe, what is it?" he asked quietly as I tried to get my labored breathing under control. He drew me to lay back down next to him, cradling me in his arms.  
  
"Nightmare," I said and then sighed, "It was only a dream."  
  
"Tell me about it," he said gently. He lightly stroked my sweat soaked hair and I began to feel a little calmer.  
  
"I was standing as part of a triumphurate with you and Amy," I said quietly and closed my eyes tightly. "In the center was a fire and we were whispering some incantation. We....we were interrupted," I clutched him as I remembered, "Something went terribly wrong. Something was wrong."  
  
"What?" he asked me gently, lightly kissing my forehead.  
  
"I don't know," I whimpered and buried my face into his chest. "Something terrible."  
  
He was quiet for a long time before he hugged me to him fiercely. "It was just a dream," he whispered, "Don't think about it."  
  
He was lying. I could tell. It wasn't just a dream, it had meant something to him.  
  
"Jedeite?" I whispered and was about to ask a question when he kissed me, stopping all thoughts and words.  
  
"Don't think," he murmured when he let me up for air. "Just don't think."  
  
* * *  
  
"I think the spell is a bad idea Serena," Jedeite said to me. I sighed and rolled onto my back.  
  
We were laying on the floor of my studio apartment. I was getting ash all over the place. I had a dream the night before and it was making me nervous and when I was nervous I smoked.  
  
Weird but true.   
  
I didn't get a buzz or anything, but I liked blowing smoke in and out of my dead lungs. It made for a very interesting feeling.  
  
So I was lying on the floor, looking like slutty trash in tight skimpy black leather and a cigarette all because of my stupid dream.  
  
It's not like it was an important even or anything. All that happened was Endymion confronting me about something Berylka had told him.   
  
And come to think about it, why the hell had he been listening to her anyway?   
  
I sighed, obsessing on this dream wouldn't do me any good, so I turned my attention back to Jedeite who was now trying to get my attention by lightly tickling my stomach.  
  
"Stop," I giggled.  
  
"I really think this is a bad idea," he repeated.  
  
"I don't think so," I said lighting up another cigarette. Four empty packs laid on the floor next to me. I flicked on the lighter and watched the flame for a minute before Jedeite took it away from me.  
  
"Stop," he said irritably, "You look like trash when you do this. What would Darien think?"  
  
"He would probably obsess on it for days wondering what it meant. Now give me my lighter."  
  
"Serena," his voice was warning and I laughed.   
  
"Fine," I pouted and finished off the cigarette and dumped it on the floor with the rest of the butts.   
  
"I don't want you to do that spell. Just kill her outright. No pomp and circumstance," he said going back to the original topic of our pointless conversation.  
  
"This is the only way. I can't kill her the way she is now. Damien won't let me."  
  
"But he'll let you make her mortal?" Jedeite raised an eyebrow and I grinned.  
  
"Damien let's me do what I want, with the exception of killing her outright."  
  
He gave the equivalent of a vampire sigh and then rolled over, tackling me. "You're going to get yourself killed. Reishe--"  
  
"Rei felt something bad happen, that's all," I said looking up at him. "Not all of her prophesies come true."  
  
"But most of them do!" he nearly shouted and shook me. "Why aren't you listening to me Serena?!"  
  
"Because you're worried about nothing," I said calmly.  
  
"I'm worried about you."  
  
"I can see that, but you have nothing to worry about. I always come out on top." I looked him over and he groaned, "Always."  
  
He sighed again and before he could move I flipped us over so that I was on top. I straddled him and held him in place.  
  
"See."  
  
"You're right. You win. Now get off of me before someone sees us," he teased and slid his hands up my legs to rest on my hips.  
  
I laughed and then leaned down and kissed him before rolling off and standing up. He stood as well and then made me look at him.  
  
"Promise me you'll be careful."  
  
"Jedeite...."  
  
"Promise me!" he nearly shouted. He shook me with a strength that would get him thrown in jail nowadays.  
  
I sighed, "Very well....I promise that I'll do my best to be careful. Now I have a date, can I go?"  
  
He laughed and kissed my forehead, "I knew there was a reason you were in leather," he teased and I giggled. "Go knock him out."  
  
* * *  
  
I nearly passed out when I saw Serena walk into my office.  
  
Sure I had seen her in leather before, leather was her favorite type of clothing, but this time it was just.....  
  
Wow.  
  
"Now," she said smiling, "Are we going dancing or not?" she teased.  
  
I managed to nod and before shaking my head to clear it. I finally regained my ability to speak as I was grabbing my black duster.  
  
"Where we going?" I asked somewhat calmly, shrugging on my jacket and following her out.  
  
"That new club," she grinned, "I had fun the last time."  
  
I groaned inwardly and then sighed, "This time, don't hurt anyone," I warned.  
  
She giggled and slid her hands up my chest and linked them around my neck. "You have nothing to worry about," she teased and I sighed again, this time wrapping my arms around her waist.  
  
"Promise me," I said seriously, looking down at her intently.  
  
Serena smiled and lightly touched my face before kissing me softly, "I promise."  
  
"Good." I hugged her tightly burying my face in her hair.  
  
I sniffed when I smelt something odd.  
  
"You smoke?" I looked at her confused.  
  
She laughed and then nodded.  
  
"Why?" I couldn't understand why she would smoke. It just seemed so...so...skanky.  
  
"I'm obsessive compulsive," she said seriously looking up at me, "So I smoke."  
  
I looked at her surprised. She must have seen the blank look on my face because she started laughing again.  
  
"Seriously Darien, does there have to be a reason for everything? You obsess way too much."  
  
"When you're the vamp in question?" I raised an eyebrow, "Always." I sighed and then grinned, kissing her softly before we went to the club.  
  
Though something didn't seem right. Something was either different about her, or she was worried.  
  
And that worried me.  
  
Serena was never worried about anything. She was always calm and collected. Everything she did had a purpose and a reason. That's why the smoking thing threw me. Why would she smoke unless she was nervous?  
  
However, I knew that I would never get the answer to these questions.   
  
When your girlfriend is Serena, you don't get a lot of time to think.  
  
* * *  
  
I didn't see Serena for almost a week after that. I was unsettled the whole time. I wasn't aware of how much time I spent around her. I was feeling very deprived.  
  
It also seemed like the vampire and demon activity picked up. I was having to face more vampires and demons per night than I had ever had before.   
  
And that worried me.  
  
The only time that there was an increase was when a there was Unstoppable Evil rising.  
  
I didn't want to have to stop an Unstoppable Evil again. The last time nearly killed me. I never want to see another fagar demon again.  
  
I sighed as I finished my patrol and went by my office. I didn't expect anyone to be there. Rei had a date with Jedeite (big surprise) and Amy had managed to get a date as well. Apparently Zoisite likes blue hair, though I don't know what possessed Ames to dye it. I was the only one without a date on a Friday night.  
  
So when I felt a vampire presence coming from my office I had a small spark of hope.   
  
Maybe it was Serena!  
  
Then I frowned. It couldn't be her, this was a different vampire, and it sure as hell wasn't Beryl.  
  
I readied myself before quickly opening the door. Sitting there was the man from the ball and the dream. He looked up at me from my chair, his feet on my desk, and he smiled.  
  
"I was wondering what was taking you so long," he said and then looked at the silver katana in my hand, "You're not going to need that," he said simply and locked eyes with me.  
  
I just looked at him for a long time, "I'll be the judge of that," I said after a moment.  
  
He raised an eyebrow, surprised. I think that he had been trying to coerce me into sheathing my Blessed Sword, but either I'm immune or he's not as good as he thinks he is.  
  
He then smiled faintly and I did my best to recall his name. Serena called him Dame in the dream but I know that wasn't it. She said it affectionately. He slowly got his feet off of my desk and stood up from the chair. I watched him warily, the last thing I wanted was another fistful of fire aimed at me.  
  
"I'm impressed," he said after a moment. "The last time we were like this you had just hurt Senna again and I was preparing to kill you. You looked a lot more afraid then."  
  
I raised an eyebrow, "Considering I don't remember the last time, I don't have anything to be afraid of."  
  
He looked at me for a moment before laughing. "Good point. If it weren't for the fact that you are who you are, then I would like you Darien," he said, "You're a good man with just the right amount of *kagi*"  
  
"Really," I said dryly having no idea what kagi meant and it didn't look like he was going to explain. "What do you want?" I asked after a moment.  
  
"What I want every time Darien. I want you to not hurt Serena."  
  
"What makes you think that I'm going too?"  
  
"Because you do every time."  
  
I narrowed my eyes, "I'm getting sick and tired of being compared to those men in the past. I'm not them. I have no intention of hurting Serena."  
  
"You never do."  
  
God, this vampire was starting to get on my nerves.  
  
"Why do you worry so much?" I finally asked exasperated.  
  
His gold eyes flashed dangerously, "Because I care about her," he said quietly, his voice bordering on dangerous.  
  
I dared to look in his eyes and my own widened considerably. I was able to see emotion in those eyes.  
  
"You love her," I said simply, amazed.  
  
He clenched his jaw, "All of my existence I searched for a woman like Serena. When I found her I was so happy, nothing in your mortal tongue can describe how I felt. Then I found out that she was married to a bastard. A man who claimed to love her and then at the time when love mattered most he discarded her. He treated her like filth and called her worse than a whore. That man was Endymion. I hated him with every part of me, but still my angel loved him. Even making her my Consort didn't help. So yes, Darien Kincaid, I love her. I love her more than you could ever know or understand. More than you ever could."  
  
Silence.  
  
I didn't know how to respond to that.  
  
We were quiet for a very long time before he sighed. "But none of that matters. Serena is going to attempt something very dangerous. I have no idea what it is and she won't tell me. She loves you Darien. Watch out for her, because if you let something happen to her...." he looked me straight in the eye, "I will kill you and destroy your soul."  
  
I think that I actually stopped living when he said that. It takes a great deal of Power to destroy a soul. I like mine where it is, thank you.  
  
I nodded numbly.  
  
God he loved her.  
  
He loved her more than I did.  
  
I never felt more unworthy to care about someone than I did in that instant.  
  
I was going to try to respond when he was just suddenly gone.   
  
I sighed. Damn. I still didn't know his name.  
  
"That was interesting," a quiet voice remarked behind me.  
  
I turned around surprised, not knowing that anyone had overheard what had been said. Standing in the doorway was Serena.  
  
She smiled and closed the door behind her and walked over to me. She was silent for a minute before leaning up and kissing me softly. She then rested her head against my chest and my arms automatically went around her holding her to me. I rested my head on top of hers.  
  
"How much did you hear?" I asked after a moment.  
  
"Pretty much all of it," she laughed quietly, "Though Damien didn't know that I was here. You would think that after all these years he would be able to."  
  
"You mean he can't feel your presence?" I looked down at her confused. Though I was happy, finally I knew this guys name!  
  
"Well, he can, but only when he's looking for me. Dame wasn't thinking when he told you all of that." She hugged me tighter.  
  
"Was all of that true?" I asked after a moment, "I mean the part where Endymion rejected you." I felt her shudder and tense slightly.  
  
"Yes," she whispered.  
  
"God, Rena I'm so sorry," I whispered, "He shouldn't have done that."  
  
She laughed ironically and this time I understood the inside joke. I sighed and then looked down at her intently.  
  
"Rena, there is something that you should know," I pulled her back so I could look into her stunning blue eyes.  
  
"I know Darien," she smiled, "You've already told me that."  
  
"Let me say it again."  
  
She giggled and then nodded, looking up at me with wide innocent eyes, "What is it that you want me to know?"  
  
"I love you." I whispered.  
  
"I know that," she interrupted.  
  
"Let me finish," I said and she giggled again.  
  
"Very well." I sighed and kissed her forehead.  
  
"I love you and I want you to know that I could never do what Endymion did. I don't care if I'm him or not. I love you too much to just throw you away. I think that I would die if I couldn't be with you, Rena."  
  
She looked up at me sadly and then kissed me. "I know," she whispered and I looked at her confused, but it didn't look like she was willing to explain.  
  
That was fine with me, I wasn't going to push anything.  
  
I hugged her to me tightly and I realized how far I had come since meeting her. I used to believe that she wanted to kill me. All she was after was a good time in bed before she drained me dry. I used to think that she was incapable of any real human emotion.  
  
I was so wrong.  
  
Now I can see how beautiful she is. How human. I can see how lost I would be without her in my life. She was mine, just as I was hers. We belonged to each other.  
  
For some reason I knew that we always had and we always will.  
  
It should have bothered me, but it didn't.  
  
All I could think about was the angel in my arms.  
  
My Angel from Hell.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'd never thought I see the day when Darien Kincaid would be brought to his knees by a mere woman."   
  
I glared furiously at Rei as we shopped. What were we shopping for? A Valentine's Day gift for Serena.  
  
"Shut up already, Rei," I nearly snarled. I was frustrated and my friend wasn't helping. "And besides, Rena is not a mere woman."  
  
"That's right, she can kick your ass all the way to tomorrow," she teased.  
  
I sighed, "Remind me why I brought you along?"  
  
She grinned, "Because I'm a woman and I'm also dating the Undead. Therefore I believe that I know more about getting a Valentine's Day gift that you do."  
  
"You know, there is a reason why I was always single on heart day," I muttered and then looked over at a jewelry shop.   
  
Rei followed my gaze and began to shake her head, "Jewelry is just so...so....so..." she said looking for the right word and then her eyes opened wide, "What are *they* doing here?" she looked up at me blankly.   
  
Jedeite and Serena were looking at pieces of jewelry in the display cases. To the ordinary person they looked like a happy couple looking at engagement rings.   
  
I was just as surprised as Rei, I didn't expect to see them here. I mean it was broad daylight outside!  
  
"Come on," I said to Rei taking her hand and feeling like a teenager, "I want to spy."  
  
"You know that they are going to feel us the moment we get close to them," she said letting me drag her.  
  
"Not if I can help it," I grinned and thought up the only spell I could perform. It was a spell that hid my presence from vampires.  
  
"You devil!" Rei teased but we both hid, listening to Serena and Jedeite's conversation.   
  
* * *  
  
"I never thought I'd see the day when Jedeite Priest would be brought to his knees by a mere woman," I teased Jedeite as we were shopping. We were walking through the crowded mall, his arm lightly around my waist.  
  
He shot me a deadly glare. What were we shopping for? Rei's Valentine's Day gift. Jedeite insisted that he was going to follow that mortal tradition.  
  
Secretly I was hoping that Darien would get me something, but I would never tell my blond companion that.  
  
"Shut up already, Sere," he growled at me and I giggled, "Besides, Rei is hardly an ordinary woman."  
  
I raised an eyebrow, "You can say that again."  
  
"Tell me again why I brought you along with me?"  
  
"Because you love me," I said simply, "and I'm a woman and I've known Rei longer than you have. I know what she likes. Besides I asked Darien what she likes and he's known her longer than both of us. So there," I stuck my tongue out at him.  
  
He sighed and then looked down at me, "Are you done teasing me so you can help me or are you going to be annoying some more?"  
  
I sighed and looked up at him wide eyed. "I'll be good," I promised and he rolled his eyes. Suddenly I pulled out of his hold.   
  
"Serena!" he called after me, following me to the quaint little jewelry shop I had found. "Why do you have to be so fast?" he muttered, slipping his arm back around my waist as we looked at the jewelry.  
  
I just giggled and looked down at the rings. "There," I pointed to a delicate gold ring that had a small ruby in the middle of it. "That's what you should get."  
  
He looked at me worriedly, "Rings have special meanings nowadays," he said, "Reishe--"  
  
"Trust me Jedeite. You want to show her that you're going to be around and that you're not going to eat her." He raised an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes, "I meant as in the food sense, not the guy-way-of-thinking-sense."  
  
He laughed quietly and then sighed, "I do want to tell her that....but...."  
  
"But?"  
  
"Do you think she's ready? I mean, I don't want to have her feel trapped if she finds someone else."  
  
I sighed and then made him look at me, "Jedeite, she's not going to find someone else. Trust me on this one. Have I ever let you down?"  
  
He smiled, "No..."  
  
"Then what are you worried about?" I demanded. "Besides if she does fall for someone else you can just kill them."  
  
He laughed out loud, "Thank you ever so much Serena," he said dryly and then turned to the lady behind the counter. "I'll get that one," he said pointing to the ring.  
  
She smiled, "Excellent choice sir," she said and wrapped it up. A moment later she handed the small velvet box to Jedeite. I smiled as he placed it in his pocket and then took his hand.  
  
"Now, I've found the perfect gift for Darien," I said pulling him away from the jewelry counter.  
  
* * *  
  
Rei and I walked up to the counter and I looked down at her. There was this awed look on her face and she was starting to stare off into space.  
  
"I thought you didn't go for jewelry," I teased to get her out of it.  
  
"Shut up," she muttered and then sighed. I saw a smile start to creep into the corners of her mouth. She suddenly threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly, laughing to herself quietly. "He loves me," she said happily.  
  
I rolled my eyes, "I could have told you that," I joked and she lightly punched me in the stomach.  
  
"Now," I said and looked around, "Help?"  
  
* * *  
  
It was snowing heavily outside. Still two days until Valentine's Day and it was snowing. It wasn't snowing this time last year.  
  
I was pouting, I hate the snow. I hate the cold. I hate---  
  
There was a quiet giggle at the door of my office and I looked up and smiled immediately when I saw her.  
  
"It's snowing," she said and walked over to me.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know," I muttered.  
  
She laughed again, "Let's go play outside in it," she said and looked up at me with her wide blue eyes. "Please Darien?" she begged slipping her arms around my neck when she saw that I didn't look particularly pleased with the idea. "Please?"  
  
I sighed, "Rena....I--"  
  
"Please, Darien?" she whispered and began to place little butterfly kisses all along my jaw and throat.  
  
"Rena...."  
  
"Please?"  
  
I sighed and then nodded. She nearly bounced with joy, giving me only a few seconds to grab my duster and then pulled me outside. She drug me to Central Park as quick as she could without carrying me and then once there, pushed me down in the snow.  
  
I was surprised to say the least. I was even more surprised when she lobbed a snowball in my face. Serena giggled and then another snowball hit me.  
  
"That's it!" I grabbed some snow and then threw it at her, hitting her in the stomach. She grinned and then we were locked in a snowball fight, just the two of us.  
  
An hour later I was breathless and we both were covered in snow and lying down on the ground. "Do you surrender?" I asked her, looking over at where she lay, a few feet away from me. She laughed quietly, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were even bluer than before we had started.  
  
"Never," she grinned and then crawled over to me, "but," she put her head on my shoulder, "I might consider a brief cease fire."  
  
"Okay," I said and put my arm around her shoulders. It began to snow again and Serena became entranced by it. I smiled at her expression and then kissed her temple. "It's getting cold," I commented after a long while. She looked up at me and smiled.  
  
"I know," she said and then slowly sat up, pulling me with her. "You know," she commented quietly, "It's almost been a year."  
  
"What?" I looked at her confused, "A year for what?"  
  
She smiled slightly, "Since we met in that alley and you killed Alan."  
  
"Really?" I was surprised, I thought about it and then realized that it had been a year. Well, in two days it would be a year. "Would that be our anniversary then?"  
  
She looked at me surprised. I don't think that she thought I would have thought of it that way. But it really kinda was.   
  
And besides, I'm a wannabe romantic. Valentine's day would be the perfect day for our anniversary.  
  
Slowly Serena smiled, "Yeah, I guess it would be." She wrapped her arms around me and we held each other for a very long time. "I love you, Darien Kincaid," she whispered.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'll see you later, Darien," Rei called from her office as she was packing up her things. "Bright and Late on Monday."  
  
"See ya," I called back and got the rest of my desk straightened. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day and I had my gift for Serena wrapped and ready to give her.   
  
I grabbed my black duster and was on my way out when I stopped. I felt like I was surrounded by vampires, but I couldn't see any.  
  
I dropped the things I was holding onto the floor and drew the Blessed Sword out of the holster on my back and stood there in silence.  
  
I didn't move and the dark office was completely silent. I was starting to get frustrated. I knew that they were here but couldn't see them.  
  
Even though I knew the attack was going to come, it was unexpected. They came at me from all sides and held me tightly. A large one knocked my sword away from me and they pinned my arms.  
  
There was a cold laughter of a woman and I looked up.  
  
I should have expected this.  
  
Really, I should have.  
  
Beryl.  
  
She just smiled at me and slowly walked up to me. "I want you to imagine something for me," she murmured, standing uncomfortably close. "I want you to imagine your death and rebirth. A rebirth where you call me Maker. A rebirth in which you belong to me."  
  
"Never."  
  
She smiled again, and I was starting to get very annoyed. I hated her smile.  
  
"Then I want you to imagine your death. In which you go to wherever it is that that dead souls go and when you're reborn you will hurt Serena even more by your very presence."  
  
I glared at her, struggling mightily against the vampires holding me. If only I could get my Sword, I might have a chance.  
  
"Either way, you die."  
  
That was the last thing I remembered before I felt a searing pain in my neck and then blackness.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Why have you brought him here?"  
  
"To let you watch him die, Father. You hate this man, it is your chance to watch him die."  
  
"And have Serena hate me forever?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"That's exactly what you want, isn't it Child."  
  
"If she hates you, then maybe you'll realize that I should be--"  
  
"My Consort? Never. Get out of my sight, Beryl. If I see you again, it will be too soon and I will kill you."  
  
"But--"  
  
"Leave."  
  
There was the rustling of fabric and the closing of a door. I kept trying to open my eyes, but it was to no avail, I knew I was dying. There was nothing I could do to stop that. The only thing I was grateful for was that Beryl hadn't decided to make me a vampire.  
  
I felt a dark shadow fall over me.  
  
"The Gods must mock me," I heard him murmur. "They are forcing me to chose between the one I love and need and her happiness. Oh well, at least you'll hate me and not her. Remember what I said, Endymion, I will kill you if you hurt her."  
  
Then I felt something at my mouth. Part of my conscious mind new what was happening, the other part didn't and accepted the cold liquid into my mouth. It slid down my throat and I swallowed.   
  
More and more came down and with it Power.   
  
And the Ecstasy.  
  
God. I was dying.  
  
I was dying.  
  
Dying.  
  
And I didn't care.  
  
  



	9. Chapter 9

An Angel from Hell  
By Kayla Chavi  
Chapter 9  
Genre: Alternate Reality/Romance  
Email: Kayla Chavi  
Rating: PG-13  
  
* * *  
  
I stood in Darien's office in the dawning hours of the early morning. The sun hadn't risen yet, there was still time.   
  
Still time to find him.  
  
The wreak to his office was amazing. The outer office was a mess and there had clearly been a struggle, a fight. His Sword lay on the ground, kicked away to the corner. Slowly I bent to pick it up and held it in my hands tightly.  
  
Five minutes later my hands began to burn, the Sword telling me that I wasn't pure enough to hold it, to wield its Power. I had held this sword before, when I was fighting Berylka, but when you're in the heat of battle you don't notice little annoyances like this.  
  
Ten minutes later I still held it in my hands. Rei was the one who noticed that I was slowly melting my hands off. She grabbed the Sword from me and glared down at me. She really is a lot more intimidating than she realizes.  
  
"Serena, burning your hands off isn't going to help him any."  
  
I just laughed bitterly, "Did they take anything?"  
  
She sighed, "My office has been torn apart, but everything is still there. Serena.....the book with the spell in it has been torn to shreds." I was quiet for a long time and I could feel the eyes of Jedeite and Amy on me, watching me closely for a reaction.  
  
Any reaction. Silence. So I decided to give them one.  
  
"Do you have another copy?" All three exchanged a look but I decided to ignore it. Hey, I didn't say that it would be a big reaction.  
  
"Yes," Amy said quietly.  
  
"Can we still do the spell?"  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Senna?" Jedeite asked, hoping to distract me by using the name beloved.  
  
"Can we still do the spell?"  
  
There was a long moment of silence before there were two sighs.  
  
"Yes Serena, we can still do the spell."  
  
"Then we do it tonight, same time, same place. Darien missing changes nothing." I closed my eyes tightly and turned to go. "Jedeite, get home before the sun."  
  
And then I was gone in a blur of movement.  
  
* * *  
  
I have to finish this. I have to finish the story of the first time. Already I can feel him dying. I can feel that he's in pain and I know that I have to finish this. Why? I'm not sure, only that I know that I have to.  
  
Gods, I can feel him dying.  
  
He's in so much pain.  
  
Darien. . .  
  
* * *  
  
The conversation with Damien had left me cold inside. Like something monumental had happened and I was unaware of it.  
  
Sighing I went into my rooms and got ready for bed, it was almost sunrise and I could feel dawn approaching. I was slipping on my nightdress when someone caught my hand. I gasped in surprise and was pulled around to face him.   
  
Endymion was standing there and I smiled, happy at seeing my husband.   
  
"You're not getting ready for bed now are you?"  
  
He pulled my cold and mostly naked body to his and kissed me with a passion that surprised me. Sure we had kissed passionately before, but never right away. Our kisses always started slow before getting out of control.  
  
His arms slipped around my waist and held me to him tightly. I slipped my arms around his neck and returned the kiss just as passionately. He lifted me off the ground and placed me on the bed, shedding his clothing quickly.  
  
Again I was confused, we always undressed each other. I liked the feeling of him pulling my clothes away and I loved just touching him as I would undress him. But I didn't question this at the moment, I was too distracted by what his mouth was doing.  
  
I didn't realize what exactly was wrong until after he had entered me. He was gripping me forcefully, hard enough that if I had still been mortal, I would have bruised. He was pushing into me with a force that he had never used towards me ever.  
  
Ever.  
  
Sure, I liked it rough at times. Damien and I had experimented a little, but Endy didn't know that. If fact, Endy had never been anything but gentle and passionate.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
This wasn't making love.  
  
This wasn't passion.  
  
I tore my mouth away from him, "Stop," I said quietly, "You're hurting me."  
  
He looked down at me and then kissed me again. I tried to stop him.  
  
That's when I realized what he was doing. He knew something and that something was making him act like this. He wanted me to force him away, to show that I was physically able to.  
  
And he was willing to rape me to do it.  
  
"Endy, stop!" I cried, hoping that he would hear the pleading in my voice. "Please!" Hoping that he couldn't tell how much I was enjoying this in reality.  
  
I could feel him pause, slowing his movement for a moment before pushing himself off of me. He rolled off of me and laid next to me, his breathing hard and labored.  
  
Mine wasn't. But then again, I didn't breathe. I knew that for the first time, he was noticing this.  
  
I wanted to cry, and almost did, but I knew that the bloody tears would not help me in this situation. Sure I had enjoyed that, but no one likes to have their husband try to hurt them. So I curled up into a little ball, my back to him, wondering what had happened to my wonderful, loving, caring husband. The husband who would die before hurting me.  
  
"You were enjoying that," he said after a moment, his voice carefully controlled.  
  
I didn't say anything, I know that he wanted an answer and I could tell when he rolled onto his side and was watching me carefully.  
  
"You were with me all the way until you thought that something was wrong."  
  
"You were trying to hurt me."  
  
"Did I?"  
  
I closed my eyes, his voice was so cold, so unfeeling. I rolled over and looked him in the eyes. His face was just as hard and cold as his voice. But his eyes.....  
  
They held a hint of betrayal and then suddenly I knew. He knew what I was and he was hurt by it.  
  
"Can I?" he asked bitterly, for the first time showing any emotion. His dark silver blue eyes bore into mine and I sat up, pulling the sheet around me.  
  
"Yes," I said after a moment. "Because you just did," I whispered and he made a sound of disgust. I turned to him angry. "What? I'm not allowed to have feelings?"   
  
Suddenly I got angry and in a blur of movement I had his hands pined above his head and was straddling him. I was barely using any of my strength, but I was stronger than him.  
  
"You obviously don't," he looked up at me angry, seemingly unfazed that his wife was bodily holding him to the bed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"How many men Serena? How many different men have you fucked since becoming whatever the hell it is that you are?"  
  
"Gods," I whispered and let go of his hands and just sat up. "How dare you ask me that."  
  
"I dare because I am your husband and until a year ago that meant something."  
  
"It still does!"  
  
"Horse shit!"  
  
I stared at him. I didn't blink; I didn't answer; I just stared at him.  
  
"Endy I love you," I whispered. I had no idea what to say and that was the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"Do you?" he challenged.  
  
"Yes! With all my heart!"  
  
"It isn't even beating!" he snorted.   
  
Oops, I guess he had noticed that too.  
  
"That doesn't matter. I chose to be with you because I love you. Even being what I am, I still love you!"  
  
"Can you love?"  
  
"Yes," I whispered and looked down. This time I really was crying, blood tears falling onto his chest.  
  
"Do you love him?"  
  
"Him?" I looked at him confused. Him who? What him? Who the hell was he talking about?  
  
"That man I saw you with tonight. That man who kissed you."  
  
"Damien?" I blinked and then I laughed quietly. "I don't love him."  
  
"He loves you."  
  
"So?"  
  
"You knew that he loved you and you let him kissed you."  
  
I sighed quietly, and knew that Endy wasn't going to like hearing my next sentence. Like I said before, there are some things that a man just doesn't need to hear.  
  
"I've done more than kiss him," I whispered and didn't meet his eyes.  
  
"So you have been with other men."  
  
"Just one other."  
  
Silence.  
  
"He was my maker," I finally whispered. "The line between lover and friend is very thin for us, it might as well be nonexistent. But Endy, you must believe me that I haven't been with him at all since I came back."  
  
"Believe you?" his voice was a hoarse whisper and he sat up, me still in his lap. He sighed quietly, "Never once was I with other women. I wasn't even tempted to because I loved you so much. I had so many opportunities, you were gone for six months out of a year, but I never did."  
  
"Endy...."  
  
"And then you're kidnapped and disappear for a year and you can't even offer me some comfort that you did the same for me. Our vows meant nothing."  
  
"NO! They meant everything to me, Endy please...."  
  
"Please what?" he glared at me, it was still clear however that he was hurting. He gripped me tightly by the shoulders. It was a lot harsher than he would have done if I was mortal. He knew that he couldn't hurt me now, so he wasn't going to pretend to be gentle.  
  
"I never meant to hurt you. I came back because I wanted to. Because I love you."  
  
"Why?" he demanded finally after a long silence. "Why did you do this to me, Senna?"  
  
Senna. I was still his beloved.  
  
"You're point of view tends to change after you die," I said quietly and I knew I was telling him something that he didn't want to believe.   
  
"Die?"  
  
"I'm a vampire," I said quietly, "The Undead. Immortal."  
  
He closed his eyes tightly and just sat there and I saw something pass through his features that almost scared me.  
  
"No," he whispered. "Tell me that you're lying to me, Senna."  
  
I didn't answer him. He knew that I was telling him the truth. "Endy..."  
  
He slowly opened his eyes and stopped. "Tell me that you're lying to me."  
  
"I'm not," I whispered; another tear splashed down on him.  
  
Then with a gentleness that was so unlike the harshness of before, he made me look at him. "Gods," he whispered and then kissed me. I just wrapped my arms around his neck and returned the kiss. "My Senna, my beautiful Senna," he whispered into my ear, just holding me tightly.  
  
Something changed that night.   
  
I knew it would. I wasn't completely blind to it, I knew that something would happen.   
  
And it did. He touched me less and let me around our children less. I knew that he was worried about something.....now if I only knew what it was.  
  
* * *  
  
The sun had just barely set and I was out in the gardens playing with my children. It had been three years since I had come back. I hadn't seen Damien at all or had any contact with others of my kind. I fed off of prisoners in the dungons of Endy's kingdom. And the rare times that I visited Atlantis, I fed off of slaves. I never told my husband how or when I killed, I knew that it would bother him too much.  
  
All ready I could feel him pulling away from me. At the moment I was stealing time with my children, for he didn't like me around them. I think that he was worried that I would corrupt them. I never told them what I was, and they never knew about vampires.  
  
"Mommy, where's daddy?" Rini asked me after twirling around and falling in the flowers.  
  
"He's in a meeting," I said and had her come sit in my lap. I began to braid flowers into her light auburn hair. "He'll come and play with you soon."  
  
Antony came and sat down next to us. He was eight years old and had the same blue eyes as his father. All ready he had managed to break hearts of all the little seven year old girls around. I thought he was charming.  
  
"Mommy?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why does Daddy sleep in a different bed then you?"  
  
I blinked and looked down at him, wondering how he knew, and why he was asking. I just tried to smile down at him, "What do you mean, Antony?" I asked instead.  
  
"You and daddy used to sleep in the same bed. We just to come in and wake you up in the mornings, but now you're not there anymore, we only wake daddy up and you sleep during the day," he looked at me with all the intent a little eight year old could muster and I smiled.  
  
"Mommy and Daddy have different schedules," I said after a moment, "I have to do things at night while he's sleeping and he has to do things while I'm sleeping," I paused when I felt a familiar presence near, "Unless you have a better explanation, Endymion."  
  
I heard the bushes move and he came into view. Rini clapped her hands, happy to see her father. "How do you do that mommy? You always know when Daddy is trying to sneak up on us!" She ran up to Endymion who picked her up and swung her around.  
  
Antony stood and bowed respectively to his father and helped me up as well. "Well Father?" he asked looking up at Endymion. "Do you have a better explanation?"  
  
Endymion raised an eyebrow and we exchanged a look. Our son was incredibly gifted in being able to see through muddled situations.  
  
"Does the fact that I don't sleep with your mother, bother you?" Endymion asked instead, setting Rini down and telling her to go play elsewhere.  
  
"Should it?"  
  
My husband raised an eyebrow and I just let him continue this conversation, not saying anything. This was his call. Whatever he told our son was what I would agree with.  
  
Yes, Endymion and I were so attune to each other we could have entire conversations in just one look. It's cute, in an incredibly mushy kind of way.  
  
"Your mother and I are just busy," he said calmly. "Like she said, we work different schedules."  
  
"Grandmother says that you and mother are fighting, that's why you aren't sleeping together. She says that when that happens, men sleep with other women. Is there another woman in your bed father?"  
  
I wanted to kill Terra.  
  
One: She was telling our son that Endymion and I were fighting, which technically wasn't true. We were avoiding each other.  
  
Two: She was giving our son the idea that he could cheat on his wife. It didn't matter that he was eight years old, he would remember this when the time came.  
  
I never forgave her for that. I didn't forgive her for a lot of things.  
  
I think that Endymion was ready to kill her too.  
  
But at the moment I was too stunned by the questions that my son was asking. He was so much like his father, it amazed me to see how controlled he was about this.  
  
Endymion reacted quite well to hearing his son ask him these questions, "No, Antony, there is not another woman in my bed. You're mother and I are not fighting," he knelt so that he was eyelevel with his son. "Antony, always believe that the only person that I will ever share a bed with is your mother. Now, I'm sorry that you were told these lies, but you need to go and get ready for bed."  
  
"Yes Father," he smiled happily and gave Endymion and I a hug before running to obey his father.   
  
I watched Endymion slowly rise to his feet. He looked at me for a long moment and was about to leave when I stopped him.  
  
"Did you lie to our son?" I asked quietly.  
  
He stopped and slowly turned around to face me. "How can you even ask me that Senna?" he asked just as quietly. "I made a vow that you would be the only one and I've kept it," he said bitterly.  
  
I sighed quietly and then nodded before turning to go my own way. This time it was he that stopped me.  
  
"What is it that you do when you leave at night?"  
  
I stopped. "I wander," I said after a moment, "You sleep and I have nothing else to do, so I wander around," slowly I turned to face him. "Do you hate me Endymion?"  
  
We had become strangers, he and I. It was odd saying his entire name. He still called me Senna, but that was more out of habit than it was out of endearment. These last few years had been hard on the both of us. We were still trying to deal with our situation.   
  
I think it says something of him that he would continue to try to make our marriage work when he hated me. Damien just doesn't understand why I loved Endymion. This was one of the reasons, because he tried.  
  
He was quiet for a long moment, "No, Senna. I don't hate you. I hate what you are, I could never hate you."  
  
I nearly broke down into tears as I looked at the ground. I heard him walk over to me and felt him gently take my chin in his hand.  
  
Slowly he raised my head so that I was looking at him. Just as slowly he leaned down and kissed me gently.  
  
"Remember, a part of me will always love you, Serena," he said quietly after he broke off the kiss.  
  
* * *  
  
Endymion didn't reject me completely. He never could, it was part of the curse and part of the blessing. But he did reject me in so many little ways.  
  
I had taken to wandering days at a time, just disappearing and reappearing at will. I didn't learn until later that all vampires go through this apathetic faze. Every time I left, I knew he was wondering if this time I wouldn't come back.  
  
I hardly ever saw my children now, and I don't think that they missed me. This hurt me more than I ever thought possible. The only thing holding me to my home was my husband and the hope that I could convince him to let me turn him.  
  
We discussed it a few times, never arguing or raising our voices.  
  
"Endy?"   
  
"Hmm?" he was laying in my arms and I was lightly stroking his long ebony hair. (Personally, I loved his hair, it was never this long ever again and I wished that he would just grow it out. Unfortunately styles change).  
  
"How much do you love me?"  
  
I heard him sigh quietly, "Are we playing this game again?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
He looked up at me, his dark silver blue eyes full of sadness for a moment.  
  
"I love you with everything I am capable of, Serena," he said quietly, "I will always love you, you know that."  
  
"Always is just a short time now," I whispered, tracing his jaw with my finger.  
  
"No," he said simply and caught my hand.  
  
"No?" I asked innocently, like I didn't know what he was saying no to.  
  
"I know what you're offering me, Senna, and I don't want it. I am content to be what I am." He sat up and moved so that he was half over me. "I don't want to loose my soul."  
  
I looked away sadly, "But Endy. . ."  
  
"Senna," he sighed, "I can't become something I loathe. Not even to be with you for eternity."  
  
"So you hate me now? I thought you said you loved me." I was trying to manipulate him into letting me turn him. He knew it and I knew it.  
  
Again we were having entire conversations in just a few words and looks.  
  
"I do love you, Senna. I'll always love you, remember? I hate what you are, not who you are. Why can't you see the difference?" He gently tried to make me look at him.  
  
"Because there is none," I whispered, "This is who I am now."  
  
"No. You will always be my Serena. You will always be that innocent girl that I fell in love with nearly eighteen years ago," he said firmly.  
  
"I'm hardly innocent, Endymion."  
  
He smiled and then kissed me softly, "A part of you will always be innocent, Serena, you can't change that."  
  
I sighed quietly, "So the answer is no?"  
  
"It will always be no," he said and kissed my forehead before laying back down next to me. "I am content with the life I have been given."  
  
I nestled myself in the crook of his arm and sighed quietly and closed my eyes. "I don't think I'll ever be that content," I murmured. "I'll only be happy when I can be with you forever."  
  
He chuckled and pulled the blankets over us. We were quiet for a moment, but it was a comfortable silence. We had gotten used to the situation we were in and were managing the best that we could. There were times I thought that he could forget what I was and we were happy in a way. It was an adjustment after awhile, and it was really little Antony's question that brought us closer.  
  
Still there was doubt on Endy's side. Every morning or night he asked me the same two questions.  
  
"Are you going to be leaving again tomorrow?" There it was, right on schedule.  
  
"Yes," I said after a moment, "Tomorrow night, late. I'm going to visit And're, I haven't seen him in a long time."  
  
"Will you be coming back?"  
  
I pulled up from his shoulder to look at him, meeting his eyes like I always did when he asked this question. "Always, j'thia. I'll always come back to you."  
  
* * *  
  
I had decided that my next trip was going to be visiting my brother. It had become a joke over the years, how I would show up and scare the living out of him. He was getting older and I needed to talk to him. I didn't know how long it would be before I could get back to Atlantis before he died.   
  
This time I decided to show up in his room. He wasn't there, but it didn't mean that he wouldn't be soon. I knew my brother well, any moment know he would come in the door, probably with either a slave or one of his wives.  
  
About five minutes later he did come in and as predicted he was with his second wife. They were almost to his bed when she pulled back from him and raised an eyebrow. "Andy, who's that?" she asked rather calmly.  
  
And're looked over where I was sitting and smiled rather brightly. "Serena!" He let go of his wife and ran over to me. I grinned impishly and hugged him back just as tightly. He laughed and then swung me around.  
  
"Loose the girl," I whispered into his ear. He nodded and hugged me even tighter.  
  
"Para, get lost," he said simply over the top of my head. She blinked and I could feel her anger at me all the way across the room. If she hadn't been my brother's wife I would have killed her long before now.  
  
She pretended to be innocent and dumb at times, but in reality she was a conniving bitch. I liked his first wife a little better, but Setsuna and I didn't get along very well either.  
  
Para looked ready to argue but she just swept a deep curtsy. "I will see you later then, Andy?"  
  
"Go."  
  
After she left I smiled, "Have you seen the light yet?" I joked. He laughed quietly and then nodded and kissed the top of my head.  
  
"If I didn't know better, I would say that you haven't aged a day since the last time I saw you," he teased before scooping me up and dumping me on his bed and sitting down in front of me.  
  
I laughed quietly, "It's the land air," I said with mock seriousness. "It defies age."  
  
He just shook his head and then sighed. "So, why are you here? The last I heard you and D'mion were getting along just fine."  
  
"Oh, were getting along fine," I said dryly, "We're getting along very well in fact. We get along so well that we're sharing a bed again," I sighed.  
  
"So why the sigh?" he asked and looked down at me.  
  
"He pulls away from me at the worst possible times," I said after a moment.  
  
"Physically or emotionally?" he asked gently.  
  
"Both," I said.  
  
"Sexually too?"  
  
I was never more grateful for the fact that my blood didn't move as I was now. If I had been human I would have been blushing. Being made into a vampire didn't cure me of some of my shyness.   
  
And talking to your brother about you and your husband's intimate life is never an easy or comfortable thing.  
  
"Yes," I said and then sighed again. "I can't understand why he hates me so much. I've tried to do everything that I can to make him more comfortable with what I am. I've tried to do everything I can to show him that I'm still me. Still the Senna he fell in love with."  
  
And're was quiet for a very long time. "I don't think that he hates you Ser' I think that he's having a problem coming to terms that you are the very epitome of everything he was taught to hate and destroy."  
  
I looked at him blankly for a long moment. "H-hate? Des-destroy?" my voice shook with barely controlled tears.  
  
And're sighed quietly and then took a deep breath, "Endymion comes from a long line of Destroyers. In his bloodline there is always a man or a woman who has a special Power meant for the killing and destroying of demons and Evil. Vampyres fall into the category. It was only recently that Garlkesh was allowed to have his own temple and be respected as a demigod."  
  
He paused to let me understand and comprehend his words. "So, Endy. . .Endy is one of these Destroyers?"  
  
And're nodded and gently took my hands in his. I hadn't noticed until then that they had been shaking uncontrollably. "Serena, you must understand that even though you are Evil in his eyes that he is willing to give up everything he believes in to just keep you alive. He battles with himself everyday whether to try to kill you or not. He's torn between having you with him and saving your soul."  
  
I closed my eyes tightly. "Why can't he just tell me this?"  
  
"Because he loves you," my brother said gently.  
  
I was silent for a very long time before I looked at him. He looked at me with a great wisdom and understanding before pulling me into his arms and half hugging me, half holding me. I began to cry, not caring that he was wearing mostly white, letting my tears stain the fabric a deep red.  
  
"Thank you," I whispered. And're just nodded, knowing exactly what I meant, even if I wasn't sure myself.  
  
* * *  
  
I arrived back at the palace of K'thia about two months after visiting with my brother. While I was there I had met the young woman he had truly fallen in love with, much to the scandal of the Atlantis court. Ritika was a young slave girl that And're was going to free and then name her as he first wife.  
  
Needless to say the nobles weren't happy, neither were Para or Setsuna. Though I was happy for him and knew that he would spend the rest of his life with a person that he loved.  
  
I was lost in these thoughts as I walked to mine and Endymion's room. It was the dead of night when I opened the door and came into the darkened room.  
  
What I saw nearly made my heart beat again.  
  
Berylka.  
  
With Endymion.  
  
In our bed.  
  
With a soft cry I fell to my knees. Endymion was half asleep, his arm loosely draped across her waist and she in his arms, her hair all around the two of them. My hand went to my mouth when I saw him murmur a name into the tramps ear. Berylka had been smiling but she frowned slightly.  
  
He murmured the name again.  
  
Rena.  
  
Senna.  
  
Serena.  
  
I closed my eyes tightly and then slowly stood. I wasn't one to take defeat lightly. I cleared my throat and I saw Beryl look over at me. She smiled smugly and moved further into Endymion's arms.   
  
Endy looked up and saw me. For a moment he looked extremely confused, like I wasn't where I was supposed to me. He looked at Berylka in his arms and he paled considerably.  
  
"Care to explain?" I managed to ask calmly as I crossed my arms across my chest. I held my head high and met his eyes. I couldn't read them at all, emotions past through them too quickly for me to comprehend what he was feeling. Our soul bond wasn't helping me much either.  
  
He practically threw Beryl out of the bed and rolled off of his side. He stood quickly and I noticed that he was dressed from the lower half down. That was unusual, he never did that, even when we were fighting he always slept bare.  
  
Berylka was on her feet very quickly and pretending to have shame and cover herself. She threw on her dress and I just watched the both of them coldly.  
  
"I'm waiting."  
  
"It's not what you think," Endymion started.  
  
"You think I can actually form a thought right now?" I looked at him, my face reflecting my feelings of confusion and hurt, "That I'm capable of forming a coherent thought?"  
  
"Gods, Senna, would you listen to me for a second?"  
  
"Serena," I corrected him. "You've lost the right to call me that."  
  
Berylka smiled coldly and I shot a look at her. "I suggest you leave before I kill you," I told her.  
  
She narrowed her eyes, "You don't have the right, Damien--"  
  
"I am his Consort. I have all the right in the world. Go. Now."  
  
She disappeared in a blur of movement and when I was sure that Endy and I were alone, I turned my gaze back towards him.  
  
"I know many things about you Endymion, but I never knew you were a liar."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at me, "I'm not a liar, Serena."  
  
"Then what was that?" I gestured to the bed, "Because it looks to me that you've been lying to me."  
  
"Give me a moment to explain!" he almost shouted, remembering at the last moment to be quiet so that the gossipmongers wouldn't hear us.  
  
I was silent, and then finally nodded, indicating for him to continue.  
  
"I had no idea that she was there," he said after a moment. "I went to bed early tonight. I woke up shortly afterwards and I thought that was you. So I did what I had been dying to do for these last few months."  
  
"Make love?" I said bitterly. Men were all the same, they only cared about one thing and one thing only, I thought rebelliously.  
  
"No," he said sharply, "No. Yes I wanted to, but what I've really wanted is to just hold you," he said after a moment, his voice a little more soft than before.  
  
Slowly I met his eyes. We just stared at each other for several very long minutes of silence. "Serena, I promise you, I didn't touch her. I wanted you. Only you."  
  
I didn't say anything. I wanted to believe him so much. I wanted to trust him that he really was innocent. I closed my eyes tightly. My brain was screaming at me to not believe him, but my heart. . .  
  
My heart knew that he was incapable of touching that woman. To this day I believe what he told me.   
  
So with my eyes closed I nearly collapsed. He caught me, not letting me fall. Gently he picked me up into his arms and took me slowly over to the bed. I buried my face into his neck.   
  
Sometimes that made him incredibly nervous, but he didn't even shudder. "Hold me then," I whispered and he nodded, kissing my forehead.   
  
After a long moment he made me look at him. "Serena, always know that I would never do that. I made a promise to love you, honor you, cherish you for eternity and I will. I promise."  
  
I nodded and let him hold me. I didn't tell him that I knew of his other promise.  
  
The promise that he would kill everything of Evil that he came into contact with.  
  
So, with these bitter and conflicting thoughts and emotions, I fell asleep in his arms. Content for the moment.  
  
It was the contentment before the storm.  
  
* * *  
  
I was twirling around in fast circles, laughing the entire time. Endymion had heard of a new style of dancing and we were trying it out in his court. He was having as much fun with it as I was.  
  
He was older now, and being King had taken a toll on him. His long black hair was streaked with silver and his face starting to wrinkle.  
  
He had never been more beautiful to me. I thought that he was incredibly attractive and I loved him even more now than I did when we were first married.  
  
By now most of the court knew that I wasn't exactly human, but I was given a respect and left in peace. They just attributed my youth to the fact that I was from Atlantis, an empire that was mysterious to them.  
  
But at the moment I was twirling in very fast circles until Endy caught me by my waist and lift me off the ground and into his arms. We both laughed and the court clapped politely as he carried me outside and onto the terrace.  
  
I giggled as he playfully nuzzled my neck. It had taken us nearly twenty years to get through everything. Twenty years until we trusted each other completely. Twenty years to reach near happiness.  
  
"My beautiful Serena," he murmured and spun us around. I held onto him tightly and just rested my head lightly on his shoulder. "I love you," he whispered and then leaned down to kiss me gently.  
  
I smiled up at him, "My beautiful knight," I playfully nuzzled his neck and nipped at it gently. Endymion didn't trust me to feed off of him, but I did bite him gently at times. I asked him once if he was unnerved by it, but he just laughed quietly and told me that he didn't mind.  
  
He gently set me down on my feet and gently tilted my head up towards his. "Serena, there is something that I want to tell you," he said after a moment of silence.  
  
I nodded, "What is it Endy?"  
  
"I've gotten over it," he said after a moment, "I. . .you being what you are. . .it. . .it doesn't bother me anymore. I love you. All of you." He managed a slight smile. Gently, I reached up and brushed his hair away from his face and trailed the back of my hand across his cheek.  
  
"You have no idea what that means to me," I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. After a moment I buried my face in his neck and cried softly. His arms locked around my waist and we just held each other until I was done crying.  
  
He kissed my forehead and was about to say something when there was a commotion from inside the large ballroom. I looked up at him curiously and he just shrugged as we went back inside.  
  
All of the dancing had stopped and there was a path cleared for two new comers who had caused a silence to befall the room. I looked at the two curiously, wondering what they were doing here.  
  
One was a tall blond woman. She looked like a thin, muscular man, but it was obvious to me that she was a woman. Her eyes were blue and cold and she carried a large sword at her waist. She was dressed all in tight blue men's clothing.  
  
Her partner had the oddest color of hair I had ever scene. The woman's hair was a sea green and wavy. She was beautiful and much more feminine that her counterpart. She was wearing blue as well, but her choice was a knee length skirt, slit to give her freedom of movement. On her back was a quiver full of arrows and she was carrying her bow casually.  
  
They walked to Endymion and I being slow and deliberate in their movements. I took my husband's hand, wondering if he knew who they were, because I had a very good idea.  
  
They were called Anklias which roughly translated means angels of life, belonging to a secret cult that lived to be hunters of vampires. They always traveled in pairs. However, they preferred combat to assassination. Damien told me once that this pair that I had encountered was one of the best, having sold themselves completely to their cause.  
  
Endy's hand clenched mine tightly and I could tell that he was nervous. I wondered why, but didn't have a chance to think as the pair bowed before us. Endy nodded at them to stand.  
  
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the blond said formally, "I'm Hakura and this is my partner, Michiru."  
  
"Welcome to K'thia," Endymion said just as formally, "I am King Endymion and this is my wife and Queen, Serena," I did not bow to them formally at all. In fact I just watched them coldly. A quiver of fear ran through me. They weren't here to ask permission to go through the countryside looking for vampires. They were here for me.  
  
Michiru bowed formally to me, but Hakura did not. She looked at me just as coldly. "What is your business here?" I asked them, my hand not leaving Endymion's.  
  
"Our business is for the King's ears only," Hakura said loud enough for the court to hear.  
  
"You have interrupted a celebration," I said and my grip on his hand got tighter, the only thing betraying my nervousness.   
  
"And we are greatly sorry," Michiru said quietly, "but this can't wait."  
  
I clenched my jaw but didn't say anything. Endymion finally nodded, "I'm sorry with the break in the celebration," he said to the court, "but I'm afraid I must hear out our two prestigious guests."  
  
There was a little bit of a commotion as the court left. "I'm staying," I said simply to Endymion. He looked down at me for a moment, like he might argue with me. "Endymion, I'm not an idiot, those two girls are here because of me. I need to stay."  
  
He nodded and then led our two guests into his private study. I just sat down in one of the large chairs. Hakura's gaze flickered at me for a moment.  
  
"What we have to say is for your ears alone," she said to Endymion.  
  
"My wife is an extension of me, as I am of her," he said simply, "Serena will stay. Whether she hears it now or later does not matter. I don't have anything to hide from her."  
  
Michiru looked at me a little apprehensively before sighing quietly. "Endymion, when we learned of your situation we came as soon as we could. Unfortunately it wasn't until two years ago that we learned that the Queen was a vampyre."  
  
"You do know that she's a vampyre, right?" Haruka asked. The two women were effectively ignoring me.  
  
Endymion chuckled, "Yes, I know what Serena is."  
  
"Why isn't she dead yet?" Haruka demanded and I actually laughed quietly. She glared over at me and I just smiled.  
  
"I am dead," I said after a moment and laughed again. I stopped when Endy shot me a look.   
  
"Senna, you're not helping," he said dryly.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Endymion sighed quietly, "I'm not going to kill my wife," he said after a moment. "She is the mother of my children and what happened wasn't her fault. She's not evil."  
  
Haruka gave him a skeptical look, "They are always evil Endymion. It's in their nature. She is a killer."  
  
"Has she magiked you?" Michiru asked gently. "We can perform the ritual to break her control over you."  
  
"I haven't been magiked," Endymion said irritably, "And Serena hasn't killed anyone in a very long time. I am going to ask you to leave."  
  
The pair exchanged a look and the aqua haired girl sighed quietly, "We have orders to kill the Queen if you will not do it."  
  
"You have got to be insane."  
  
That wasn't Endymion, that was me. The three of them looked at me, the two women stunned at my statement.  
  
I continued, "First, you're assuming that you could kill me," I stood up and walked over to stand next to my husband, "And second you're assuming that Endymion would let you."  
  
The stared at me for a long moment. Haruka finally narrowed her eyes. "The soul bond," she hissed and clenched her jaw.  
  
"Exactly," Endymion said, not arguing with me at all. "Are your people going to insist on the insanity of a king?"  
  
"Of course not," Haruka closed her eyes after a minute. "We call upon the Oath that you have taken." She opened her eyes which were now glowing faintly. "We call upon all that is Sacred."  
  
Michiru took her hand and her eyes began to glow as well, "We call upon Duty," she whispered, "You will not be able to eat, think, or sleep until you have preformed that which you promised."  
  
"So mote it be."  
  
A Power came over them and then towards Endymion. I saw it and didn't think, I stood in front of it and let it overtake me. I fell to the ground a moment later, not seeing anything but darkness for a long time.  
  
* * *  
  
Sitting down in a crowded bar with hazy smoke all around you, is not my idea of a good time. Of course my idea of a good time usually included a nice shapely blond or brunette. I sighed heavily and looked at the clock for the umpteenth time.  
  
She was late. Sunset was three hours ago, she should have been here by now. Trust a vampire to be late.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, Andrew," she said, sounding breathy as she slid into the booth across from me. "Thank you for meeting me here."  
  
I managed a slight smile, "Do you know where Darien is?" I asked after a minute of silence. I watched her carefully, her blue eyes looked like she had been crying for hours and there were slight traces of blood on her pale cheeks.  
  
"No," she said after a moment.  
  
"Is he dead?" I managed to ask in a gentle tone. I know, surprising even for me. It was strange, ever since I had met her I felt this protectiveness around her.   
  
I told Darien about it once and he just laughed. "She's like that. She makes everyone think that she's helpless and innocent. Really she's not. Try to ignore it, Drew."  
  
I tried. It didn't work, she really is helpless at times. Like now, she's ready to fall apart because he's gone, or missing, or heaven forbid, dead. So I watched her and after a long moment of silence I took her hand gently.  
  
She looked up at me, her eyes misty. "I don't know," she whispered, "I felt him die but. . ."  
  
"But?" I prompted.  
  
"It's different than all of the other times. It's like I can almost hear him, but then he's suddenly gone." She looked down at her hands and then placed something on the table.  
  
I looked down at it, a little confused. It was a computer disk, a rather high tech one for our times. And by high tech, I mean something that only the government has.  
  
"I'm thinking by the time that Darien is either reborn or that you find him again, then this will still be useful."  
  
"What is it?" I asked picking it up slowly and looking at it carefully.  
  
"The answers to all the questions that he wanted to know. Everything's in there. Our story, how we first met. Falling in love. Our marriage. Our wedding night. My death and rebirth. Betrayal. His death. All of its in there."  
  
I breathed in sharply. I was holding history in my hands. "Why are you giving this to me?" I asked.  
  
"Darien is gone. I am tired of watching him die and be reborn. I am tired of the curse. Tonight I'll get my revenge on Berylka and then tomorrow morning I will walk out into the sun."  
  
I had no response to that. She slowly stood up and looked down at me. She smiled just a little, though it was sad.  
  
"I'll finally get to see the sunrise."  
  
Slowly I nodded and stuck the computer disk into my pocket carefully. "Do you want my help tonight?"  
  
She shook her head, "No. Andrew, Darien values you as his best friend, his family. I won't have your life on my heart either. Besides, listen to your little sister for once." She leaned down and kissed my cheek before disappearing.  
  
I blinked several times, stunned by what she had just told me.  
  
Little sister?  
  
* * *  
  
For the first time ever, I could feel the sunset. I could feel the unbearable heat of the sky leaving. It fascinated me, as did the feel of the bed sheets around me.  
  
I knew what I was. There was no way I couldn't know. I opened my eyes and looked over at Damien, my Sire.  
  
Serena's Sire.  
  
Did that make us brother and sister?   
  
God, I hope not.  
  
I heard a laugher and then flushed slightly, realizing that he could hear my thoughts.  
  
"You are very interesting young Endymion," he said, watching me with a hint of curiosity. He walked over to me and I slowly sat up. I felt incredibly strong and felt no hunger.  
  
He smiled, "That is because I fed you enough to last a thousand lifetimes. You drank directly from the Master for several hours. You will not be hungry for a long time."  
  
I nodded, knowing that he was satisfying my want to not kill. For some reason I still had my soul and the thought of killing innocence make me sicken inside.  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"She is not here. Nor does she know about your current situation, Endymion."  
  
I sighed, "Darien," I corrected. "Where is she?"  
  
He smiled slightly, "That is for you to find out. . .Endymion."  



	10. Chapter 10

An Angel from Hell  
By Kayla Chavi  
Chapter 10  
Rating PG-13  
Genre: Alternate/Romance  
Website: Perchance to Dream http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/todream/index.htm  
  
* * *  
  
We met at Rei's apartment. I was the last to arrive and when I got there, I saw Amy, Jedeite, and Rei either pacing, sitting down, or being held. They all looked up at me hopefully.  
  
"Did you find him?" Amy finally asked and I looked down at the ground sadly.  
  
"No," I whispered. "He's dead."  
  
"No," Rei whispered and closed her eyes tightly. The blond holding her gently rocked her as she began to cry. "He can't be dead. He just can't be."  
  
I sat down on the opposite couch and closed my eyes tightly, wanting to cry myself. It had happened again. We loved and then lost. He was gone and there was nothing I could do to change it.  
  
There was a very long period of silence while we all tried to come to grips with our grief. Well, everyone except Jedeite, but he and Darien never got along anyway. He just held Rei tightly and let her sob out all of her grief.  
  
I was alone. Completely. Something in the bottom of my being was crying out in pain, demanding to be heard, but I ignored it. I cut myself off completely, I couldn't allow this to get in the way of my revenge. To kill Berylka I had to be totally and completely a vampire.  
  
Something I have never been before. Sure, I've killed and I've tortured, but I've never reveled in it. When she died I would dance on her corpse, bathe in her blood, and then scatter her ashes to the four corners of the wind.  
  
Cold.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Amy asked quietly. She had gotten a tentative control over her tears and was ready to face the situation.  
  
"We go through with the spell," I said after a moment.  
  
"Serena! You can't possibly be considering the spell at a time like this!" Jedeite said angrily. He held onto Rei a little more possessively.  
  
"I am."  
  
"You're insane!"  
  
I managed a slight smile, "Of course, but you knew that already," I looked down at my hands.  
  
Again there was a pause in the conversation. It wasn't uncomfortable, just there.  
  
"I think we should do it," Rei said slowly and quietly. Jedeite looked at her as if she was insane as well. "What have we got to lose?"  
  
"I would say our sanity, but apparently that is gone already," he sighed heavily and looked over at Amy, pleading with her to be the sane one in this fiasco.   
  
"We should go ahead with it," she said after a moment. "That bitch deserves to die for what she did to Darien."  
  
I smiled at the blue haired girl and then looked at Jedeite.  
  
"No. No way in hell."  
  
I tilted my head slightly and then gave him my most innocent smile.  
  
"No."  
  
I furrowed my brow slightly and locked eyes with him, not letting him look away. I pouted slightly, knowing that by now I must look about fourteen years old.  
  
"Senna. . ."  
  
Amy and Rei watched in morbid fascination as I without words or sound convinced Jedeite to help us. I gave him my most adorable face ever, knowing that if I had to I would resort to the smile and pout that always made him give me what I want.  
  
I'm eight thousand years old and have spent most of that time with him. I also know how to manipulate better than most. He continued to look at me with a mixture of frustration and anger before he sighed heavily.  
  
"Serena. . ."  
  
Tears began to form in the corners of my eyes.  
  
"Very well," he muttered, "But just for the record, I think that this is a very bad idea." Rei just kissed his cheek and I smiled bitterly, knowing that the real battle had yet to come.  
  
* * *  
  
"That is for you to find out. . .Endymion."  
  
I sighed heavily, he wasn't going to give up that stupid name.  
  
Jerk.  
  
Slowly I pushed myself off of the rather large bed. I stood and looked down at my state of attire. I was missing my shirt, but I assumed that had been removed by Beryl. My jeans were still intact, a good thing, I thought. But my shoes were missing.  
  
Groaning, I stretched and then sighed. I ran a hand through my hair and then I realized something.  
  
I could no longer feel Serena in my mind. I blinked and then looked over at Damien for an explanation. He looked at me, keeping my gaze for a very long time before sitting down in a throne like chair.  
  
"You have died, Endymion--"  
  
"Darien--"  
  
"--and nothing is going to be the same anymore. Your soul bond to Senna still exists, but you no longer know how to find her by using it. You will have to relearn how to find her."  
  
I sighed and closed my eyes, "Is it because you made both of us?" I asked after a moment. He looked surprised, like he hadn't thought I would ask him that.  
  
He didn't think that I would be able to figure it out.  
  
Jerk.  
  
"Yes," he said after a moment, "That is part of the reason, but it can be overcome with just a few short years of practice."  
  
"Years!" My jaw dropped. "I don't have years, I have minutes; I have hours; maybe I have a day; I don't have years."  
  
Damien just shrugged, "Then I suggest you start looking, Endymion."  
  
"Darien," I muttered for what wouldn't be the last time. I sighed heavily and looked around, "Very well, I need shoes."  
  
* * *  
  
"I still can't believe that I let Serena convince me to do this," Jedeite muttered and I laughed quietly as I just snuggled into his side a little closer. We were at my place, waiting until midnight. It was only 9:30 and Serena had gone, where, only she knows. Amy had decided to spend a little more time with the Elf that she was currently attached to.  
  
Jedeite had insisted on staying with me and just being with me. Neither of us actually saying what had been on our minds.  
  
Would tonight be our last night together?  
  
Last night I had the dream again, the one where the spell goes wrong. It had scared the shit out of me and I wasn't sure if it had really happened or not. I had woken up in a cold sweat, but I hadn't told Jedeite.  
  
I didn't tell him. I couldn't.  
  
Despite the dream, despite the knowledge that I probably was going to die, I knew that I had to be a part of this spell.  
  
That scared me more than anything.  
  
The knowledge that if I didn't do this spell then something worse was going to happen weighed heavily on my soul. So I didn't tell him. I didn't tell anyone.  
  
I just kissed Jedeite softly, knowing that if he wanted to, he could read my mind, so I blocked all of this out. I kissed him, and in that kiss I gave him my soul.  
  
"I love you," I whispered and pulled him over me, "You know that right?"  
  
He smiled down at me with a peacefulness and gentleness that only comes with age, "Yes, Reishe, I know."  
  
* * *  
  
I had decided that there were some definite perks to being a vampire. There were even better ones if you were made by the Master. It was outright amazing if you used to be a Demon Hunter.  
  
I decided this while holding up one of Beryl's cronies against the wall.  
  
With one hand.  
  
I felt very manly, testosterone at its fullest, wanting to kill things and swear. It was an ego trip multiplied by the fact that it was certainly justified. I was angry and I didn't care who knew it.  
  
"Where is she?" I asked for the fifth time.  
  
"You're not going to find her in time," the white blond idiot smirked, not really caring that I was slowly crushing the vertebrae in his neck. If I held on any longer then he would end up without a head and very quickly become dust. I was really starting to lose patience.  
  
"Tell me where she is and I will deal with finding her," I raised an eyebrow calmly, "Soon you're not going to have a head," I added and the vampire began to choke on his own blood.  
  
"Where the sun meets the sky and the moon falls into the sea," he choked out. I let go and let him fall to the ground where tried to get the blood out of his throat.   
  
I was about to just leave him there when I turned and was faced with a young girl with shoulder length hair and violet eyes. Her hair was black with several white streaks and her skin was incredibly pale.  
  
"You should kill him," she murmured, her voice quiet and faintly hypnotizing. "It will help you in the battle to come young one," she walked up to me, her eyes boring into mine. "You will need his Power."  
  
For some reason this young girl made sense. Her words were confusing and barely comprehensible, but somehow my soul understood what she was trying to say. So I turned back to the vampire who was trying to stand.  
  
I pulled him off the ground and then winced as I felt my fangs elongate even more. Tilting his head I bit down deep into the hard cold flesh at his neck. I drained him to the point of death and then snapped his neck.  
  
As he turned to ash I felt an incredible Power overcome me. It wasn't like the ecstasy that I felt when Serena had bit me, it was different, but just as strong and just as powerful. I gripped the wall to keep from falling over.  
  
Slowly I felt like I was getting back to something that faintly resembled normal. I looked up to see the same girl standing there, a small smile on her face.  
  
"Congratulations, Endymion," she said, "Diamond was a powerful Master. He was made by Berylka, who was made by Saffire, who was made by Damien," she smiled again, "He had an impressive genealogy, though yours is more so, but you already know that, don't you Endymion."  
  
"I guess I do," I said and sighed, "And who are you?"  
  
"Harotu," she said and extended her hand, looking like an innocent girl with adult eyes. Eyes that had seen too much and knew too much. "My Sire was Kalkaylakia," I paled slightly when she said that. I had actually met the famous Kalkaylakia and she had me lost in so many circles of thought and logic that I literally could not think for days. "Damien is her Sire, but that you also knew."  
  
I took her hand and shook it gently before letting go of it. "Why do you tell me this?"  
  
She smiled, "It's not important now, but it will be to you after all of this. Now you must come with me. There is much I need to talk to you about before midnight."  
  
"What happens at midnight?" I asked, confused.  
  
She just smiled sadly, "It will be the End and the Beginning. It will be when the sun meets the sky and the moon falls into the sea. What is incomprehensible will become understandable. All doors will be opened and the very soul of the earth will cry out in joy and in pain. The End and the Beginning."  
  
* * *  
  
Two hours until midnight.  
  
Just two more hours and then I would have my revenge and then I would die for the second time. I laughed quietly at this thought, though the sound was hallow as it echoed off the walls of the large warehouse.  
  
It was here that I had stored all of my remembrances of Endymion in all of his forms. In the center of it all was the beautiful wood bed that we had first made love on. A silly remembrance, but it was a beautiful bed, large and something like out a dream.  
  
Gods, that night was so long ago that it feels like all of this is just one long never ending dream. Nothing is real to me anymore.  
  
Slowly I walked over to the bed and sat down. I ran my hands over the smooth silt sheets and comforter. I still had the original pillows, though the fabric was a recreation, some things just fall apart through time.   
  
I sniffed several times, trying not to cry. Tears wouldn't serve me in two hours. So I stood and walked around touching everything that reminded me of him. I got to the last object in the large warehouse and nearly started crying again.  
  
It was the small gift that I had gotten him for Valentines Day. I picked it up and gently touched it before, placing it back on the pedestal. Darien would come here in fifty or a hundred years and learn of me. He would learn that there was a psychotic vampire who loved him with all of her soul.  
  
He would learn of my obsession and how deep it really ran. I wonder if he would understand it.  
  
I wonder if he even could.  
  
Looking over at the clock I closed my eyes once more.  
  
One more hour until midnight.  
  
* * *  
  
I only had one hour to find her. Harotu had led me to a large estate where I met Kalkaylakia again for the second time.  
  
The beautiful vampire was sitting in a throne like chair in the middle of what could be a ballroom. Her long auburn hair fell past her ankles and pooled on the floor. Her skin was even whiter than Damien's and Serena's and her eyes were a deep green. She was wearing a blood red dress that was pure silk with two slits that went all the way to her hips, and was cut in a Chinese style making her beautiful and seductive at the same time. She saw me and smiled, slowly standing.  
  
"Thank you Harotu, you may leave me and the King alone."  
  
Harotu nodded and left, closing the doors behind her with a quiet clang. It echoed for a moment before the other vampire smiled at me.  
  
"It's been a long time, Darien," she said and motioned for me to come closer. "Now, you know how I hate pretense and like getting directly to the point, so I'll be blunt." She smiled and lightly touched my neck. "You need to know what's going on., where you are supposed to be, and when you should be there."  
  
"Are you going to do this so I can think afterwards?" I asked. I was joking slightly, but there was a hint of seriousness to what I was asking. I couldn't help if I couldn't think.  
  
She laughed and then lightly pulled her amazingly long hair away from her neck and tilted her head, "You'll survive," she said simply. "Drink, young King."  
  
I just stared at her, not understanding why she wanted me to do this. I didn't see the purpose that it would accomplish. She saw my hesitation and uncertainty. Lightly she touched my lips before looking up at me.   
  
I jumped slightly, her eyes were glowing a faint silver. "You have to drink, Darien. You can not stop her if you don't. I am forbidden to tell you with words, now drink!" The last was a harsh command as she wrapped her fingers through my hair.  
  
"Kalkaylakia. . ." I tried to protest, but she was stronger than I and pulled my head to her neck. I wasn't going to bite her when I felt her slide her hand down my chest and then around to my back. She pressed against me and it was too late when I realized what she was doing.  
  
I felt the blood lust surge through me. Her arm wrapped around my neck, "Now drink, my King," she murmured before biting into the flesh at my neck.   
  
That was what sent me over the edge and I bit into her.  
  
With that I was hit by a burst of images, none of which made sense at all. She held me to her for what seemed like an eternity as the flow of ideas and images continued to coarse between us. Slowly she pulled away, her skin flushed and her cheeks actually rosey.  
  
She closed her eyes and swallowed before shuddering for a moment. Slowly she opened her eyes and smiled slightly. "It will make sense in a moment," she promised before going back to sit on her throne.  
  
I closed my eyes and nodded. The images formed into something resembling coherence. When I got the entire idea of what Kalkaylkia had been trying to tell me I paled.  
  
"What time is it?" I demanded.  
  
"You have half an hour, Darien," she smiled and leaned back into the throne, looking positively ethereal. "Use it wisely."  
  
* * *  
  
You have to drive a half hour to get out of the open city and into the country. We made it in twenty minutes; to the field that we were going to perform the spell it was only five minutes. Serena was there ready and waiting for us.  
  
Jedeite helped Amy and I out of the black sports car that had been mine and Darien's to share when we needed it. The blond vampire was calm and controlled as she waited for us to set up the spell.  
  
She took off the jacket she was wearing to reveal a deep tank top and black leather pants. "Are we ready, Rei?" she asked me and I just nodded.  
  
In silence I set up the circle of white sand which contained another triangle of black sand. I handed Amy and Jedeite their candles and told them to take their places with Serena in the center. I drew another circle in red sand a few feet away and whispered a quick incantation, hiding it from immortal view. Amy and I could still see it, but Jedeite and Serena couldn't.   
  
In silence I took my place in the triumpherate. The three of us lit our candles and set them at each triangle point before facing outwards and taking hands.   
  
"You may begin Serena," I said quietly as I began to gather our Power.  
  
"I begin the Calling," she whispered and began to glow a silver, even with our backs turned we could see it. "We stand before the Gods and Time, a mortal, the undead, and a Sorceress to call unto us One of Evil. One of Destruction. One of true Darkness. We bid you to bring her to this place so that we may take justice into our hands and complete our revenge."  
  
The wind began to howl and lightning flashed across the sky. Rain was threatening and thunder began to sound. Jedeite and Amy just held my hands tighter, as if they too were afraid of what nature was seeming to say.  
  
There was a flash of lightning and at each triangle point stood a figure. The first one came into the light, a young girl that I had never seen before, her hair black with white streaks and violet eyes.  
  
"Why do you seek this revenge? Are you not also a force for Darkness?"  
  
I heard Serena laughed quietly, "Harotu," she murmured and then sighed quietly, "I only kill the evil-doer. I try to keep the Balance in place, I do not try to tip it to the extreme, such as she."  
  
The young girl nodded as if that answer was enough. The second figure stepped into the light of our candles. I heard Amy gasp, "Andrew!"  
  
"These are only images," Jedeite whispered to us, "These are just spirits sent in the form of Serena's friends and comrades to test her."  
  
"She must be worthy," the figure that looked like Andrew added, smiling with the same smile that the blond friend of Darien's really had. He turned his attention back to Serena.  
  
"Why do you seek this revenge? You have lost your love before."  
  
"I have spent the last eight thousand years loving and losing because of a curse that never should have been placed. I have paid with my heart and with my love many times over. There is a limit to what a soul can take." She said firmly and with a calm I did not share.  
  
"You have no soul," the third figure stepped out so I could see them. This one was another young woman who had long auburn hair that pooled at her feet. Her green eyes held a hint of humor at the situation.  
  
"He was my soul," Serena whispered. "He was everything to me and I've lost it. I can't do this anymore, it hurts my very essence every time that he dies. I want to take my revenge and then die in peace, knowing that maybe I will see him in the eternities."  
  
The woman raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, revealing two fresh puncture wounds that were quickly healing. "Serena you know the curse. You are asking the impossible."  
  
"Maybe it is impossible," Serena finally shouted, "But that doesn't mean that it can't be done," the wind howled around us and it began to rain gently, "I know you understand me Kalkia!" she shouted over the wind, "If you were here right now you would ask the same thing! How long as it been since He died?"  
  
"Then again," Jedeite muttered, "Maybe not."  
  
The woman that Serena called Kalkia smiled and then nodded. She looked heavenward, the rain running down her face and body as she raised her arms. Lightning struck her, then a second later, Andrew burst into Flame and Harotu shimmered in water.   
  
We were suddenly surrounded in Light. "We complete the calling, the One of Darkness, of Destruction, of Evil is called and is coming!"  
  
There was a clap of thunder and the three figures disappeared. Standing in the circle of red sand was Beryl.  
  
* * *  
  
I raced through the countryside on my motorcycle, on my back was my Blessed Sword, thankfully I was still able to use it. I assumed that Rei had taken the beautiful black sports car, and I was desperately looking for the place that Kalkaylakia had shown me. I heard thunder roll in the distance and saw a few flashes of lightning. I looked at my watch.  
  
Exactly midnight.  
  
Suddenly there were three flashes all in the same area within and I knew. That's where the spell was being performed. I turned the gas handle on my bike and sped off in that direction, grateful that there was no traffic.  
  
It began to rain as I pulled my bike up next to the car. I took off my helmet and tossed it on the ground, not caring that it splashed in the mud. I had to get there, I had to stop whatever was going to happen.  
  
The scene that I came upon confirmed my worst fears.   
  
Beryl and Serena were fighting. Magics blazed back and forth between the two of them. Thunder crashed again and lightning flashed against the sky, illuminating the group of three people.  
  
I saw Rei, Amy and Jedeite standing in a circle. They were glowing a faint yellow and I paled when I realized what spell they were performing. I was about to say something to distract the fight, to stop what was going on when a strong hand clamped itself over my mouth.  
  
Strong arms grabbed me from the behind, and even with my newfound strength I found that I could not get away. I fought and kicked and bit, but it was to no avail, I had to watch as the spell continued and Beryl and Serena fought.  
  
I finally was able to see my captors. Just two women, a tall blond and a shorter more feminine looking girl with pale green hair. They were wearing all blue, the blond carrying a sword and the other carrying a bow.  
  
"You must not interfere," the blond said, "what is happening was destined by the Gods."  
  
"Screw the gods, I want to save her!"  
  
"Endymion, you can not save her, can you not see that?" the green haired girl said to me gently, "She is a thing of Evil, they will both punish each other."  
  
I struggled again put they held me still, forcing me to watch as my angel from hell fought with Beryl.  
  
Then, from out of the darkness they came. Vampires, all around. They didn't go to attack Serena, they went towards the circle. With my mouth silenced, all I could do was watch as they tried to attack the spell.  
  
* * *  
  
The Power was wildly getting out of control, I could feel it, Amy could feel it, and I know that Jedeite could feel it. Carefully I brought it closer to control until I heard a motorbike squeal to a stop. I opened my eyes to see Darien.  
  
He was alive!  
  
The Power of the spell grew, just from that thought. Together, the three of us began the last part of the incantation, that wasn't in Latin.  
  
Thank the Gods; I hated Latin with a fiery (excuse the pun) passion.  
  
"We seek to rectify the situation," Amy whispered, "to give life to what is dead."  
  
"To unwrite what was written," Jedeite whispered.  
  
"To damn for all eternity for her sins. If she repents then the Gods will do with her as They please, but we ask that she be thrown into eternal Torment," I said, the last of the spell.  
  
"So mote it be!"  
  
The nature around us screamed and the sky shown as brightly as if it had been midday as the clearing lit up, brighter than the sun. In my minds eye I could see the moon and stars falling out of their places and into the sea, the waves completely covering them up.  
  
Then there was Darkness.  
  
That's when Amy screamed.  
  
* * *  
  
The light flared and suddenly I was crying out in pain, the two women let go of me. They were too startled and surprised to hold on. It was in that moment that I knew.  
  
I knew who I was. I knew that I was truly Endymion. Just as I was all the men who had come after him. Just as I was Darien.  
  
I understood everything that she had tried to tell me. I understood that she could love for eternity and that she always would.  
  
And then, just as I understood and remembered, I forgot as the Darkness descended upon the clearing.  
  
I heard Amy scream and looked up. They were being attacked by vampires from all sides.   
  
Serena couldn't help, being locked in her own battle with Beryl, so I stood, forcing away my captors and ran faster than I had in my entire life.  
  
I pulled the vampire at Amy's neck away and plunged a stake into its heart. Never had I been more thankful for the habit of carrying wood around with me as I was now. In a matter of seconds I got rid of three more.  
  
Jedeite was dispatching others with the long knife he had carried with him. Rei was shooting fire out of her hands. How she was able to do this, I will never know. She should have been too drained from the spell to do anything.  
  
Minutes later they had all died or had fled. I turned my attention back to Serena and Beryl, who were still fighting heavily, neither one seeming to be able to gain an advantage. Serena was bleeding in several places, her dark clothes becoming stained with hers and Beryl's blood. Beryl wasn't doing too much better, her white dress was forever ruined.  
  
"You're alive," I heard Rei whisper and I looked down at my oldest friend and nodded. "Serena said that she felt you die."  
  
"She did," I said after a moment and then sighed heavily. "They're not even coming close to killing each other. What is Serena doing?"  
  
* * *  
  
Berylka screamed as I gouged my fingernails into her cheek and sliced through her. Blood began to pour out of the wound before it healed quickly. Soon we were both glowing with Power, I was glowing a silver blue, she a blood red.  
  
This resulted in a fight for the storybooks. You know the stories, the one where the princess uses her magic against the evil sorceress to save her love. The only problem was that my love was already dead and not coming back.  
  
I felt the Power of the spell start to build and then suddenly everything was immersed in Light. I covered my eyes, surprised. My senses couldn't handle that much light after millennia of darkness. Berylka had the same problem, so we both just fell to our knees hoping that it would go away.   
  
In that moment I knew. I knew that my lover was still alive, I could feel his presence.  
  
When the darkness returned I looked for him, searching.  
  
Amy's scream distracted me and Beryl began to attack me again, not allowing me to think about the new circumstances I found myself in. I could barely make out the outline of two figures who had been holding Darien back before I found myself back in mortal combat with Berylka.  
  
Time slowed down as we fought, each movement taking an eternity. Again Berylka and I drew blood and again it was healed quickly. Then it was as if our Powers stopped working.  
  
Pain entered my being and I felt like I was being ripped apart. There were long scratches along my face, neck and upper chest. Along my arms rivers of blood fell. I had nearly snapped her neck when, with a great amount of effort she flung me back.  
  
Painfully I landed on the ground, my arm and shoulder breaking. I moaned painfully and whimpered as I tried to push myself up.   
  
Gods, my entire body hurt like hell. Then there was suddenly another circle of light around me and I could see the red sand. I began to scream as pain ripped through my senses. All of my mind was focused on the pain, I couldn't hear or see anything, just the pain.  
  
It encompassed my entire being. I thought it would never end.  
  
* * *  
  
Jedeite was about to answer me when I saw Rei pale as Serena was flung in our direction. She landed on the ground. A light began to gather around her.  
  
"SERENA NO!" Rei screamed and then immediately when into a trance. She and the vampire began glowing with an intense light. She began to scream, even though she was locked in the spell.  
  
Serena screamed, obviously in intense pain. I felt a tug at the very center of my being and when the light faded I saw her lying on the ground. I stood to run over to her, but I was suddenly held back again. The two women had recovered from their surprise and were trying to hold me away from Serena once more.  
  
* * *  
  
I saw Serena fly back and land in the circle of red sand.   
  
Oh God. This couldn't be happening.  
  
"SERENA NO!" I screamed and then immediately had to stop it. We couldn't damn her soul forever.  
  
I fell into a heavy trance, whispering the opening words that only I knew. I had studied them just in case.  
  
It looked like the one thing that could go wrong, just did. I flashed a bright red and whispered the ending words to the spell. "So mote it be!"  
  
The Light entered my body again and I screamed. I couldn't do anything to stop the pain.  
  
I was dying.  
  
* * *  
  
The Light suddenly stopped and I just laid there on the ground. I felt the sound of water rushing past my ears and a cool liquid flowed down my scalp and face. Slowly I tried to open my eyes and for a moment I thought I was blind.  
  
And then I heard it.  
  
It was a weak sound, a gentle thump, resonating from my chest. I whimpered softly as the pounding began to get weaker and weaker, though it started becoming more and more painful.  
  
I was mortal.  
  
* * *  
  
I saw Beryl smirk and slowly walk over as the light fell away. She looked at Jedeite, Rei, and Amy and just laughed, "This is what you brought me here for, isn't it? To become mortal so she could kill me," she laughed again, a cold hollow sound. "I find it humorous that the opposite happened."  
  
She walked up to Serena and picked her up by the hair. She whimpered softly as Beryl lifted her off of the ground completely by her hair.  
  
"Let her go!" I shouted, struggling wildly. I saw Beryl look at me and she laughed again.  
  
"Oh, yes. Mustn't forget the White Knight in Shining Armor," she laughed and turned Serena so that she was facing me. "How is it going to feel, Endymion, knowing that you killed the love of your life? You are responsible for her death," she smiled, "I think its fitting that she's been the cause of your death so many times. Now you'll be able to watch her die."  
  
* * *  
  
It hurt when she picked me up, my scalp was already tingling and she made it worse.  
  
"Let her go!" Darien shouted and he struggled against Haruka and Michiru. I should have known that they would come, that they would be here to watch me die.  
  
"Oh yes, mustn't forget the White Knight in Shining Armor," she laughed coldly and turned me so that I could see Darien for the last time. She said something else but I was slowly falling away, but able to see him.  
  
I love you.  
  
I don't know if I actually said it, but I know that he heard it.  
  
Painfully I closed my eyes as I felt sharp teeth bite into the flesh of my neck.  
  
* * *  
  
I watched in horror as Serena looked at me and whispered 'I love you,' and then close her eyes as Beryl bit into her neck.  
  
All of the storybooks speak of a miracle that happens at the last moment. They tell of the mystical event, or the supernatural strength of the hero, and how the day or night is save. Evil never wins in storybooks.  
  
A miracle never came, the storybook was never complete.  
  
Serena fell to the ground, her face contorted in pain as she was harshly dropped to the ground. I finally broke free of my captors to run to her. They let me go, I realized later, their job was complete; Serena was going to die. I pushed Beryl out of the way and gently took my angel into my arms.  
  
The rain was now pouring down on us in sheets. Her long blond hair was matted and tangled with blood and dirt. Her face was pale and her skin icy, but I didn't care as I held her closer to me.  
  
"Rena, God," I whispered and lightly touched her face, willing her to wake up. "Please open your eyes," I begged silently.  
  
Slowly her eyes fluttered open, "Darien?" she whispered, "I thought....I thought that you were dead...." she closed her eyes and tears mixed with the rain.  
  
"Rena, stay with me," I pleaded, holding her closer. "God, you can't die. I need you, please don't die."  
  
Her eyes slowly opened again and she smiled up at me as much as she could. "I know it hurts," she whispered, "But we'll see each other again someday. I promise," she lightly touched my face and pulled it down so she could kiss my forehead.  
  
"But--"  
  
"Shhh," she murmured, "I love you," she whispered, "Always remember that, that I loved you with all of my mind, heart, and soul." Her eyes closed again and I just leaned down to kiss her softly. She breathed in a painful breath, shuddering before going completely limp.  
  
"Serena!" I closed my eyes, not wanting to believe it. "Serena!"  
  
I couldn't believe it. My angel from hell was dead.  
  
I cried silently, my entire being feeling like it had been torn in two. I didn't want to move, or to think.  
  
Then I heard laughter.  
  
Slowly I set the body of my angel down and stood. I turned and faced the bitch that had killed her.  
  
Beryl was still standing there, smirking. "What's the matter, Darien? Did you really love that little whore of yours?"  
  
I didn't say anything, I just stood there for a long moment before slowly walking up to her. She watched me, confusion evident in her eyes.  
  
"Beryl, you disgust me," I finally said and then back handed her, sending her to the ground.   
  
"What else is new?" she taunted pulling herself off of the ground. "You always have, ever since you met her. Let's not get redundant," she smiled, the look on her face calm, making her seem even more insane.  
  
I just looked at her coldly before pulling the sword out of its sheath on my back. I raised in slowly and watched as her eyes widened in horror and confusion.  
  
"How....."  
  
I just looked at her coldly, "Somehow I retained my soul," I said bitterly, "This is the best steel in existence, infused with wood," I raised it so that it was eyelevel. "It will kill you dead enough."  
  
She suddenly started laughing, "You are just a young vampire. You are still not faster than I. No, Darien, you will not kill me," she smiled smugly, "I hope that you enjoy hell," she said and made a move to attack me.  
  
I just smiled and in then a fast, complicated arc I had the Sword at her throat.  
  
"You're so vamped about hell," I whispered in the dull silence of the rain, "Why don't you go there?" I finished the arc, slicing across her throat.  
  
Blood stained me and the blade as it came out of her as her head fell to the ground. The rest of her followed a moment later.  
  
She turned to ash before touching the grass and I closed my eyes. The bitch was gone.  
  
And so was my angel.  
  
I looked at the body of Serena and then fell to my knees, the Sword dropping to the ground beside me, staining the grass with blood.  
  
It was the end of the world; the end of my existence; the end of my being.  
  
The rain fell all around me and lightning flashed and thunder roared.  
  
I was deaf to it all.  



	11. Epilogue

An Angel from Hell  
By Kayla Chavi  
Chapter 10  
Rating PG-13  
Genre: Alternate/Romance  
Website: Perchance to Dream http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/todream/index.htm  
  
* * *  
  
Here it is, the Epilogue and the end of An Angel from Hell. It was a very wild ride, but I enjoyed it immensely.   
  
And yes, I did leave it open for a sequel if I ever get around to writing one.  
  
* * *  
  
I don't know how I survive the dawn of the morning, but somehow I got home. The outcome of the final battle had been this:  
  
Jedeite survived, barely, but he did. Rei was dead, having died to save Serena's soul from eternal damnation. I had lost my best friend in her, Jedeite had lost a lover.   
  
Years later, I asked him once how he dealt with the pain of loosing her over and over again. He just smiled at me and said, "You don't deal with the Pain, Darien, you embrace it and make it a part of you. It's the only way to survive."  
  
Amy was still alive, but would never see again, nor would she ever walk. Beryl was very dead and not returning, I had that on the authority of the blond bitch that had kept me from saving Serena. Andrew was still alive, even though, he too had been at the site of the Great Spell. The Higher Powers had brought him there to test her.  
  
Apparently, he and Serena and been brother and sister in his first life. Go figure.  
  
And I....I was a vampire.   
  
And I was now standing in front of a computer with a disk in my hand. Andrew had given it to me once I was coherent enough to actually think again.  
  
"She wanted you to have this," was all he said to me.  
  
Now I was in her apartment, in front of her computer, just staring at the screen. Slowly, I pushed the disk into the hard drive and began to read.  
  
* * *  
  
I awoke to the sound of someone murmuring my name over and over, begging me to wake up.   
  
This was very unexpected, for I had thought that Haruka and Michiru would have me killed on the spot. Instead I was lying in my bed with Endymion lying next to me, begging me to be alive.  
  
It didn't occur to me until later that he had every reason to suspect that I was dead. My heart didn't beat and I didn't breathe. To let him know that I wasn't lost I gently reached up and touched his hair.  
  
He stopped his murmuring and pulled back to look at me. Seeing that I was alive and awake he covered my mouth with his, in a long and passionate kiss.  
  
"Dear Gods, I thought I had lost you," he murmured.  
  
"Never," I said back and gently kissed him. "What happened?"  
  
He sighed heavily, "They want me to kill you," he said after a moment, "They said it would be easier when you were sleeping, but I just. . .I can't kill you, Senna," he said hoarsely and then kissed me again, just as passionately as before.  
  
"What was the spell that they did?" I asked after he pulled away.  
  
He sighed again, "It was a Calling. I am one of their rank," he said bitterly, "When I was younger I was called to join them because of my heritage. I--"  
  
I gently pressed my fingers to his lips, "I understand," I said quietly and kissed him gently.  
  
"Senna, if I don't kill you in the next three hours, I am going to go insane," he said seriously, breaking the tender mood between us.  
  
I blinked and just looked at him, "I don't believe you," I said quietly. "It sounds like something they would make up to force you to go through with it. It isn't logical!"  
  
He sighed and lightly stroked my hair, "I've seen it happen before, Serena. Believe me when I say that I will go crazy if you don't leave."  
  
"Endy. . ." I looked at him sadly, able to feel that my eyes were filling up with tears. "I can't leave you. Please don't make me go."  
  
"Senna...." he sighed and pulled me close.  
  
I don't know what started it, but suddenly we were kissing, which for us, isn't that abnormal, but it seemed so sudden. The kiss was slow and deep, lasting for an eternity, but over much to quickly. He placed soft small kisses along my face and shoulder before pulling back and looking at me.  
  
In that moment I knew what he wanted me to do.  
  
"No," I sat up and pulled away. "Even I have my limits, Endy."  
  
He sat up with me and grabbed my wrist to stop me from leaving the bed all together. "Why not? I know you want to."  
  
"Wanting to and actually doing it are two completely different things. There is a difference between Euphoria and Death, Endymion." I looked at him, part of me horrified at what he was asking me to do, the other part of me curious of what it would be like to drink the Life Blood of my lover, my husband.  
  
"I know that!" he said sharply and visibly tried to calm himself down, "I don't want to kill you, I could never live with myself."  
  
"And you think that I am capable of killing the man I love and living with the guilt of all of it, because I'm a vampire?" I countered.  
  
He didn't answer me. He didn't have to, I could see it on his face. That's exactly what he thought. It nearly broke my heart.  
  
Nearly, but not all the way, but only because he was in a way right. I knew that even if I killed him now, I would find him again. He also knew that.  
  
It's his fault that I have this weird obsession with him. Really, it is.  
  
I sighed heavily, "Endy. . ."  
  
He lightly took my hand and kissed it gently before tossing his hair over his shoulder, baring his neck. "Do it Serena," he said and pulled me back to him. "I don't want to kill you. I can't." The last sentence was whispered and I closed my eyes painfully.  
  
He situated me in his lap so that I was straddling him, "Endymion. . .are you sure?" Our lips were a breath apart and he just kissed me, his arms locking around my waist tightly.  
  
Like the last kiss, this lasted forever before I broke away to kiss the side of his face and neck. I heard him sigh softly and I teasingly nipped at the flesh of his neck, trying to break the serious mood that we both were in.  
  
He laughed quietly, realizing what I was attempting to do and just laid back with me over him. "Minx," he murmured in my ear.  
  
"Always." I closed my eyes and kissed him once more, "I love you, j'thia," I whispered.  
  
"For eternity, my beautiful Senna, my angel from Hell," he said back and then I bit into the flesh at his neck.   
  
I heard him gasp in pain as the blood filled my mouth. I drank slowly, gently pushing the Euphoria into him. I felt his arms grasp me tighter as I slowly drained him to death.  
  
I felt his heart start to stop so I pulled away. He smiled up at me as I looked down at him. He reached up and lightly touched my hair.  
  
"You're beautiful," he murmured and closed his eyes. I leaned down and kissed him one last time. "I'll find you again, Senna. I promise."  
  
"I know you will," I whispered as blood dropped from my eyes and onto his chest. I let his weak arms draw me close and let him hold me as I felt his soul leave his body.   
  
I cried my whole heart out the moment he died. I was truly alone again, for with him went my soul, my heart, and my love.  
  
* * *  
  
What happened later is not nearly so dramatic, in fact it's almost boring. It wasn't until nearly twenty years later that Atlantis sunk into the sea and K'thia was consumed by the ravages of war, due to the stupidity of our children.  
  
I, of course blame Terra, who died after the war. She had ended up have most of the influence over my children, even though both Endy and I had protested her 'words of wisdom'. I'm amazed that Endymion turned out to be as wonderful as he did with a mother like that.  
  
Jedeite and I became close, always looking for our significant others. He would make sure that if Reishe did become a Priestess that she wouldn't swear any vows of celibacy. I would make sure that Endy never looked at any girl other than me.  
  
Darien, I've found you so many times and every time I've fallen in love with you. Each time is like the first. You always manage to have me feeling like that silly and clumsy fifteen year old girl. Sometimes I know exactly what you feel, and other times I'm so confused I don't know whether I'm coming or going.  
  
I want you to know that I blame you for everything. It's your fault that I fell in love with you, its your fault that I spend my immortal existence looking for you. It's your fault that I border on being a pathetic love-struck girl and an amazing seductress.  
  
Thank you.  
  
I've lived my Unlife with a purpose other than kill, crush, destroy. My Unlife has a purpose, no matter how weird or pathetic it is.  
  
Just remember, that if we don't find each other for a long time, that it is better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all. (Yes, I realize that belongs to Billy, but I was the one who gave him the idea for it in the first place).  
  
Yours for eternity,  
  
Serena, your angel from Hell  
  
* * *  
  
I saw the blood splash on the keyboard a moment too late and realized that I was crying. Crying for my love that I felt like that I had lost completely.  
  
I knew now otherwise. I knew that I would find her when the time was right, and maybe this time we could have the happiness we wanted without stupid curses and angry ex-girlfriends.  
  
I read over the last part once more and smiled. So she knew about my title for her. I tried to be surprised, but it didn't work.   
  
I sighed heavily and ran a hand through my hair, noticing for the first time that there was an address attached to the disk. I frowned slightly when I realized that it was a warehouse.  
  
Grabbing my coat, I looked outside to see that the sun was setting and then ran all the way to the warehouse. I was able to get the door open by breaking the lock. Flinging open the door, I was not prepared for the site that greeted me.  
  
There were thousands of things that littered the large room. It was filled with paintings, and art, jewelry, and even a large bed. Each item had a small card telling exactly what it was, where it was from, and I assume what version of me, she associated it with.  
  
I went through each item, the search taking me long into the night until I reached something that would have made my heart stop if it was beating.  
  
It was a glass figurine of a Knight, his sword was raised to attack some great evil, and every detail was exquisite. The expression on his face was one of determination mixed with confidence and a little bit of fear as he faced whatever foe he was against. I smiled when I realized he had dark hair and blue eyes.  
  
On the ground behind him was the damsel in distress. Her face reflected admiration and even a bit of love as she looked up to her Protector. Though it was almost odd that her hair had a problem deciding whether to be a light auburn or a pale blond. Her eyes were also blue, and her skin was amazingly white.  
  
'To My Knight in Shining Armor, Darien. May you always protect and guard against the evils of the world, even if they do come in the form of hellish angels. Love always, Serena.'  
  
The card was dated, February 14, 2001.  
  
Today.  
  
I fell to my knees and cried, for what wouldn't be the last time.  
  
Serena was dead and it would be a long time until I would see her again.  
  
It was the End of the World.  
  
* * *  
  
Of course the story doesn't end. If it did it would be a mockery of every love story that existed. The ending doesn't always have to be happy, it just as to have hope.  
  
Several years later I was walking down a crowded street in Los Angeles when I heard a woman screaming out in pain in the back of an alley.  
  
Worried, I followed the sound until I came upon a young woman with long black hair. She was leaning against the wall, screaming shrilly in pain. That's when I noticed that she was pregnant.   
  
Not thinking, I took this woman into my arms and lead her to the hospital without saying a word. I won't go into the details, but later that evening she gave birth to a little girl.  
  
Both she and her husband were ecstatically happy and thanked me for getting her to the doctor so quickly. Apparently she had been robbed and the trauma had forced her into an early labor. Without me, the doctors claim, she would have lost the baby in that alley.  
  
I was just glad that the husband got there so he could have the joy of witnessing the birth, and hearing the screams.  
  
So a few days later I came to visit the woman in the hospital, along with flowers, balloons, and chocolate. The woman's oldest daughter, a girl of about three or four with black hair and violet eyes, was sitting on the bed, holding the newborn baby.  
  
"Hey kid," I said smiling.  
  
"Hello Darien," the little girl smiled shyly. "Mommy says that she and Daddy don't have a name for my little sister," she pouted.  
  
The mother laughed, "We always thought that we would have a boy and a girl, so we only picked out a boy and a girl name. Reilyn got the girl one."  
  
I nearly choked, for the first time realizing that Rei was sitting in front of me. I looked down at the little girl in her arms. "May I hold her?" I asked, half afraid, half dying with anticipation.  
  
The woman nodded and Rei handed me the baby carefully.   
  
My eyes closed when I held her, my heart singing, and I felt a desperate tug at my soul when I held her.  
  
"Serena," I said after a moment, looking down at the newborn.  
  
The mother smiled, "It's perfect!" she exclaimed and Rei wrinkled her nose.  
  
"It's a girly name," she muttered and I laughed quietly.  
  
Serena just looked up at me, and somehow the same mischievous glint was still in her eyes, for she reached up and grabbed my nose, yanking on it.  
  
I just laughed and kissed her forehead. Everything was going to be okay. I had found her, and in twenty years I would come back again and do what she had spent 8,000 years doing.  
  
Pathetic? Yes.  
  
Insane? Most definitely.  
  
Wonderful? Absolutely.  
  
I had found her!  
  
My one and only angel from Hell.  



End file.
